New K&K Fashions store in Wellington

K&KThe team at Wellington was ready to welcome shoppers yesterday as Plus size womenswear retailer K&K Fashions opened its twenty first store in Wellington’s CBD.

Opening specials abounded at the 187 Featherston Street store, measuring 93sqm, with T-shirts from $19, tops from $29 and knits from $35.

K&K is a family run business that has been operating for over 30 years. The business was founded by Ady and Ilana Korpus in 1981, with an emphasis on fuller figure fashion and accompanying customer sizes up to 26.

As a largely vertical operation, K&K manufactures the bulk of its range. Manufacturing is split between New Zealand and overseas. K&K’s mission statement has always been to provide the latest international fashions to women of all sizes at affordable prices.

Its expansion is opportune given that NZ adults are on average the second heaviest among 50 countries, prompting warnings of a looming medical crisis for some Kiwis. The average Kiwi was estimated to weigh 81.3kg last year, lighter only than the average American who weighs 82.7kg.

The weight list was compiled by Bloomberg news service using data from the WHO, the OECD and a survey funded by the US Agency for International Development.

In separate statistics, Bloomberg recorded NZ women as the sixth heaviest in the world at an average 74.6kg.

“The store brings the brand to life and will be an inspiring and exciting way for our customers to shop an assortment of trends [and] inspiring head-to-toe looks,” says retail manager, Rachel Korpus.

“Our staff are poised to help not just our fashion-focused customers, but also introduce those that are new to the brand and need help finding the perfect fit.”

Marketing and digital manager, Diana Lamb, says digital and physical accessibility is increasingly important for customers, so the new store’s central location is key.

“This new store gives us the opportunity to reach local women who have previously been limited to online interaction or a trip north,” Lamb says.

“We’re delighted to create a shopping destination both online and in store in this region giving our customers options based on how they prefer to shop.”

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