Scotch & Soda franchise partner plans further stores in Austria

Franchise partner Christian Leitner, managing director of Retail Group GmbH, is responsible for Scotch & Soda's expansion in Austria. He took over the store on Vienna's Mariahilfer Straße shopping street, on the corner of Zollergasse, following the insolvency of the Austrian subsidiary. Leitner has also been managing the location in the Wien Mitte – The Mall shopping centre since September 2022.

Leitner then opened another location in the Westfield Shopping City Süd mall in Vösendorf in November 2024. An opening was also originally planned for last November in the Parndorf Fashion Outlet. This is now scheduled for October, Leitner explained to FashionUnited. The trade magazine Textilwirtschaft had previously reported on these expansion plans. Additionally, a retail space will open in the Auhof Center Wien shopping centre in October, followed by a store on Landstraße in Linz in November.

Up to 10 stores planned

The store network is set to expand to up to ten locations in total. Leitner is targeting cities such as Graz; Innsbruck; Klagenfurt; and Villach. The franchise partner for the Dutch brand explained that there are no concrete plans for these locations yet.

The entrepreneur is advancing his expansion strategy while the fashion retail sector continues to face a challenging market environment and low consumer demand. He is leveraging a network of strong contacts that enable him to secure deals quickly. “Our great advantage is that we can expand rapidly, so landlords are very pleased to be able to implement openings quickly.”

Overall, the business is developing very positively, with only one location currently proving challenging. “We are relying on our strong partnership and intensive dialogue with the landlord and will turn things around,” said Leitner.

Strengthening wholesale

Alongside its own stores, the wholesale business is also set for further expansion. Retail Group took over two existing clients from the Austrian Scotch & Soda subsidiary. Following the first order round for spring/summer 2026, retail partnerships have been expanded to ten.

Leitner is particularly pleased to have entered the Vorarlberg region. For SS26, a partnership was established with the Riedelsberger family to offer the brand exclusively in their Max & Stella stores. This is in addition to a partnership with Sagmeister for kidswear.

The company is currently in the ordering phase for pre-fall 26, which is always more challenging. Nevertheless, it is in intensive discussions with fashion retailers such as Kleider Bauer, Peek & Cloppenburg and Feucht Moden.

Retailers are currently “proactively seeking attractive concepts, quality and distinctive features.” This presents the perfect opportunity to leverage Scotch & Soda's renewed momentum.