Words: Kit Heathcock | Images: Wilma Kotze Photography
Cuteness meets quality at Petit Love’s new flagship store in Canal Walk, Century City. Angé Baard and Betty Hardcastle, co-owners of Petit Love, tell us more about the brand.
How did your business start?
The Petit Love journey began in September 2010, when we opened our dollhouse store in the heart of Stellenbosch. A few months later, we opened our second store in the Cape Quarter Lifestyle Centre, and most recently we opened our flagship store in Canal Walk.
Why did you choose this area for your new shop?
We’re all about storytelling and playing our role as parenting partners to our customers. It’s important to us that our brand footprint expands to areas that allow us to better play that part. Canal Walk Shopping Centre is one of Africa’s super-regional shopping centres and attracts diverse shoppers on an international and local scale. As a business and lifestyle precinct, with office and retail spaces available, the centre is home to many renowned brands and experiences. We realised that there were great opportunities for us to grow Petit Love’s footprint in the centre.
How did you find your premises?
Although much of the industry is moving away from bricks-and-mortar stores, the Petit Love brand is built on the philosophy that the customer comes first, and the physical store lets us showcase our story. After opening our store in Stellenbosch, we found that many opportunities opened up for us, especially as people started to get to know and love the Petit Love brand.
Why are the premises ideally suited to your business?
Canal Walk has been a wonderful opportunity for us to engage with new customers and be closer to home for some of our Petit Love enthusiasts who previously had to travel far to visit us.
Who are your neighbours?
We like to be surrounded by businesses that are benchmarks in best practices, such as Woolworths and Tashas, as well as independent entrepreneurs who have pushed the boundaries.
What are the rental prices like in this area?
The locations we have selected come at a premium, but it’s a price we’re willing to pay to take Petit Love in the direction we envision.
How many people visit your business each day?
Since we expanded our brand to include Canal Walk, our customer footprint has quadrupled.
Do you have any expansion plans?
Yes, most certainly. We think about retail differently and have created a collaborative platform to expand our brand footprint locally and internationally.
Do you operate online as well?
We have an online store and deliver across South Africa.
What’s your most popular item?
Earlier this year, we released our Petit Love Capsule and Signature Collections. They’ve been so popular that our customers have been asking for others in different colours or bigger sizes because their little ones wear them so much and grow so quickly.
For more information on Petit Love, phone 064 660 4284 or visit the website.
