Swells Maternity Wear opens first NI boutique

Maternity boutique, Swells Maternity Wear has opened its first store in Northern Ireland.

A franchise with seven stores throughout Great Britain, Swells was first brought to Ireland by Dublin kitchen manufacturer Mark Duggan in April this year. He made the move after seeing a gap in the marketplace for stylish, affordable maternity wear while his wife was pregnant and looking for a classy outfit for a friend’s wedding.

Eight months on, Mark and his wife are celebrating the birth of their third Swells store, with outlets in Dublin, Galway and Wellington Place in Belfast.

Commenting on his blossoming business, Mark Duggan said: “I first learnt of Swells while helping my wife to shop for clothes on the Internet. At that time she was four months pregnant and was finding it increasingly difficult to get really fashionable maternity wear. Most women don’t want to have to change their style of dress just because they’re pregnant and I’m delighted to say that their craving for fashion has led to unprecedented early business success.”

Swells source their exclusive designs from top-class European fashion houses and stock everything from lingerie and swimwear to casuals and party outfits for the fashion-conscious mum-to-be. Their decision to open in Belfast was a natural progression of their business plan, as Mark explained: “The response we received when we first opened in Dublin was incredible and in fact, so high has been the demand for Swells clothes that business has more than doubled forecasted sales. This boost in sales paved the way - sooner than expected - for a second shop in the Republic followed closely by Belfast.”

Mr Duggan added that while he would like to have a Swells store close to every major town in Ireland, within the next couple of years he is looking for his business to grow to at least six stores. (MB)