French online clothing retailer chooses Peterborough as the home for its first UK base

An online clothing retailer based in France has chosen Peterborough as the location for its first UK base.
Patatam founders, from left,Marieve Bidart, Eric Gagnaire and Mathieu Bidart.Patatam founders, from left,Marieve Bidart, Eric Gagnaire and Mathieu Bidart.
Patatam founders, from left,Marieve Bidart, Eric Gagnaire and Mathieu Bidart.

Patatam has agreed a 10 year lease on the 17,657 sq ft unit 2B at Centurion Business Centre in Bretton which will be its UK operations hub.

The company says the warehouse will initially create eight jobs increasing to 12 by the end of the year. It is hoped the warehouse will employ 30 people in three years' time.

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It will be Patatam's first base in the UK as the company, which sells good quality nearly new clothing for women, children and babies, seeks to expand its business, which is firmly established in France and Spain.

From left, Sam Major, of Savills,  and Simon Horton, UK operations manager for Patatam.From left, Sam Major, of Savills,  and Simon Horton, UK operations manager for Patatam.
From left, Sam Major, of Savills, and Simon Horton, UK operations manager for Patatam.

It allows customers to sell their clothes back to them and also to purchase high quality, second-hand clothing that is still in good condition at a heavy discount to the normal retail price.

The move to Peterborough was overseen jointly by the city's economic regeneration company Opportunity Peterborough, the Department for International Trade and the British Embassy in Paris.

The warehouse was let by commercial agents Savills on behalf of CBRE Global Investors Ltd.

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Steve Bowyer, chief executive of Opportunity Peterborough, said: "Having worked with the Department of International Trade's Investment Services Team and the British Embassy in Paris to support Patatam in opening its first location in the UK, we're delighted to now welcome the business to Peterborough.

"Peterborough faced stiff competition from other UK cities but the availability of suitable premises, our excellent location, transport links and skilled workforce gave us the edge.

"Such a move reaffirms Peterborough's attraction as a destination for new business.

He added: "We're especially pleased that Patatam has such a sustainable business model too, encouraging the reuse and re-circulation of clothes - it perfectly supports the city's commitment to having a fully circular economy that avoids waste by 2050."

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The warehouse features a production line that includes equipment which automatically loads photographs of the clothes along with product details to the website as soon as the photograph is taken.

Sam Major, surveyor in the business space team at Savills Peterborough, said: "Providing newly refurbished warehouse accommodation in the well-established Centurion Business Centre situated just outside of Peterborough city centre, this is the perfect place for Patatam to set up their business.

"New to the UK, this proves Peterborough’s strength as a commercial location and the quality product that the city currently has on offer.”