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Hackett Opening on Regent Street
by SAMANTHA CONTI
LONDON
-- Hackett London will this week open its largest store ever, an 8,934-square-foot space infused with theatrical flair, British pride -- and Beefeater gin.
The store is located on one of the hottest shopping strips in London: Regent Street, where J. Crew opened its first European flagship earlier this month, and which is home to Burberry's largest store.
"We've grown up -- and we are a major player now. We wanted this to be a big statement: it's younger and cooler than our Sloane Street store," said Jeremy Hackett, founder and chairman of Hackett London, which is owned by the Spanish investment company Torreal, whose portfolio includes Pepe Jeans.
Hackett is located in the former Ferrari brand shop at 193-197 Mutual House, and other neighbors on the street include Hamley's, L'Occitane en Provence, Brooks Brothers and Jaeger. A smaller Hackett unit a few yards away will close when the flagship opens on Friday.
The store's centerpiece is a big staircase that joins the three floors. The steps have a Victorian, industrial feel with bronze and nickel hardware, and Hackett said it reminds him of "old London, and rising from the depths of the Tube station."
The ground floor is dark and moody, with floors done in black-and-white granite and limestone, while the walls are made from Georgian-inspired wood paneling.
The floor has been designed with an English countryside theme, complete with taxidermy foxes, falcons, badgers and a big stag's head mounted above the cash registers.
There is also a "living wall,"...