Menswear brand Suit Direct has officially inaugurated its new flagship store on Liverpool’s Paradise Street, marking a critical milestone in its nationwide retail expansion. Inaugurated on December 19, 2025, the store opens as currently valued at approximately £16.2 billion - the UK menswear market witnesses a significant shift toward service-led, physical retail experiences. Despite a broader cooling of consumer spending, the occasion wear segment remains a resilient outlier, with Suit Direct targeting high-growth categories like weddings, proms, and premium racing events.
Elevating the ‘Phygital’ tailoring experience
The Liverpool site serves as a blueprint for the brand’s ‘elevated’ retail concept, prioritizing personalized 1-to-1 styling and bookable appointments to combat the surge in online-only competition. ‘This city loves to dress well,’ noted Amanda Argent, Retail Director,Baird Group, during the launch. The store design integrates strategic ‘pause points’ and visual storytelling to increase dwell time, a metric that has become the new gold standard for high-street success. This physical investment is backed by a robust digital strategy; recent data shows, while online conversion rates for suit retailers can be volatile, Suit Direct has managed to maintain industry-leading efficiency with a 32 per cent increase in ROI through enhanced sizing guides and localized stock visibility.
Strategic diversification into ‘Modern Lifestyle’
While formalwear remains the brand's core, the new flagship highlights a significant expansion into lifestyle and smart-casual ranges, including knitwear and chinos designed for ‘work-to-weekend’ versatility. This move aligns with a 2025 industry trend toward ‘Mix-and-Match’ tailoring, where traditional blazers are increasingly paired with denim or premium knitwear. To sustain this momentum, parent company Baird Group has confirmed plans to open up to 50 new locations across the UK by 2026, leveraging its vertical integration to offer premium labels like Ted Baker and Marc Darcy at competitive price points.
A premier UK menswear specialist with a heritage dating back to 1894, the Leeds-headquartered Baird Group operates as a vertically integrated entity under Arafa Holding, managing everything from fabric production to retail through its primary fascia, Suit Direct. The group specializes in formalwear and modern lifestyle apparel, catering to the UK and European markets with a portfolio of iconic brands including Ted Baker (under master license), Ben Sherman, and Racing Green. With a focus on aggressive high-street expansion and a modernized e-commerce platform, Baird Group is currently targeting a £100 million+ revenue milestone as it transitions into a service-first, omni-channel leader in the fashion sector.
