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Noa Noa has emerged from an onerous transition phase straight into a heady expansion across the UK and franchise development manager Søren Kok Jacobsen successfully lead the way.

The Danish fashion retailer was founded in 1981 by brothers Harald and Lars Holstein as a wholesale fashion brand has since become an international retail franchise with locations in 20 countries. Noa Noa was in transition when Søren Kok Jacobsen joined the company in 2014 as franchise development manager. The company had been under the management of a private equity firm when private owners bought the business in 2014. Jacobsen describes: “The transition allowed us to return to the heart of what the brand is about: being true to yourself and allowing women to express their personalities rather than chasing what’s in fashion.” Noa Noa then hired a new head designer who captured the brands’ iconic feminine, romantic look that is positively modern yet so bohemian. With its ‘be true to yourself’ philosophy the brand also developed a stronger brand identity. Jacobsen adds: “Rather than designing things based on what we see elsewhere, we have more confidence in our own designs.”

During this transition period, Noa Noa tweaked its strategy to areas it could improve such as identifying the right franchisees and developing personalised training. “We recognise that the whole point of a franchise is that franchisees can expect to get help,” Jacobsen adds. With five new shops in 2015, four in 2016 and 14 more to come worldwide, Noa Noa is expecting to have at least 50 franchisees in the UK. “Even if we reach that target we’ll never have a huge market share but being small is our advantage as it allows us to offer something unique,” Jacobsen concludes. “There will always be a place in the market for brands that are a bit different.”