Japanese-inspired lifestyle brand Kenji has chosen Manchester’s Trafford Centre for its new 4,000 sq ft flagship store, open now. The store is Kenji’s first to feature an on-site sushi-to-go bar, offering freshly made sushi every day.

In addition to its eclectic range of quirky cooking utensils, stationery and plushies, featuring the in- house Kenji character range of over 200 own IP characters, the store also features a makers’ section where local small business owners and artisans are featured in-store every two months. The aim is for local makers to be able to display their products in a high street setting; a concept that came about as a covid-response to help small businesses to gain exposure.

Kenji aims to disrupt traditional retail by curating an immersive retail space that allows customers to explore the story behind the products.  Established in 2014, Kenji has proven popularity and has enjoyed significant growth, with the new Trafford Centre store its fourth new opening in the past 12 months.  In addition to its seven existing stores, Kenji is set to rollout across the UK with plans to have 100 stores by 2025 through planned openings in the Midlands and the South for 2022.

Derek Yong, KENJI’s Head of Operation said, “The power of digitisation cannot be denied but our focus is to foster experiential retailing to inspire our customers through touch and space, and this can only be achieved with a physical presence. The Trafford Centre is undeniably one of the best retail destinations in the UK to launch our new flagship store and bring back the excitement to offline shopping as we recover from the pandemic.”

Rhys Evans, Director of Asset Management at Pradera Lateral commented, “Kenji is a fantastic brand for the Trafford Centre as it brings something completely different for our visitors to enjoy. We are thrilled to host the brand’s new flagship store and have no doubt it will prove popular, especially as we approach the Christmas shopping period. Kenji sits perfectly in the diverse mix of brands that are already part of the Trafford Centre and we’re working hard to enhance this retail and leisure mix with more exciting new arrivals soon.”

The Kenji store opening follows hot-on-the-heels of the recent arrival of UNTUCKit, the American casual men’s apparel brand renowned for selling casual shirts that are designed to be worn untucked.