Two years after opening in Newport City Centre, clothing shop Primadonna has established itself as a favourite supplier of prom dresses and outfits for special occasions.
Located on Emlyn Walk at the entrance to the Kingsway Shopping Centre, business owner Melanie Bishop and her staff were almost overwhelmed with orders for dresses for the recent end of school proms.
Despite this being a seasonal occurrence, business has remained brisk throughout the year and as part of her strategy to develop the company, Melanie has signed a contract to sell an exclusive range of bridal and formal wear from Impressions Bridal, a US based company.
Explaining her decision to move into this market, Melanie said, “Our client base has been rapidly increasing. Our ranges of prom dresses have proved to be very popular and although we were previously selling a limited range of wedding dresses our customers were asking if we had anymore.”
She continued, “The Impressions Bridal ranges of dresses are perfect for our target market and we also took them up on the option to include men’s formal wear. To date, these are proving popular and we are regularly importing new stock.”
Asked about her opinion of Newport City Centre, Melanie said, “Moving to Newport has been fantastic for us. The majority of our customers make a specific journey into the city centre to come and see us. Our location at the entrance to the Kingsway Centre and the free parking provided in the Kingsway car park makes it quick and easy for clients to visit. We are already really busy but with the proposed redevelopment of John Forst Square, we are expecting the business to grow even further in the next few years. “
Dan Smith of M4 Property Consultants who undertook the letting to Primadonna on behalf of owners UBS , said, “Despite the state of the UK economy and continuing speculation regarding the redevelopment of Newport City Centre, smaller retailers with strong business ideas and plans can still thrive. Melanie and her business are a great example of this, not only surviving for two years but expanding and growing the range of products they offer and generating more business. Newport needs more businesses likely Primadonna to provide niche products and draw customers back into the city centre. Potential tenants can take advantage of the current market and obtain great value property which could serve them well in the medium to long term. We have a number of such properties available.”