Manchester online fashion firm bought by North East rival

A Manchester online fashion hire firm has been bought by a North East rival.

Hire That Look has been acquired by the Newcastle based business Hire Street for an undisclosed amount.

Hire Street was launched a year ago by former investment banker Isabella West.

The 26-year-old is aiming to disrupt the fast fashion market by encouraging shoppers to rent clothes rather than buy them.

Customers can book outfits in advance and hire them for four to 16 days before they are returned.

The business is being run from Hirestreet’s logistics and distribution centre in Scotland.

Hire Street has just landed six-figure funding from London-based retail experts to help fund the acquisition.

Isabella West says the move comes as her company looks to boost its own online technical capabilities.

She said: “I’ve long admired the way Hire That Look operated, so this is a tactical play to improve Hirestreet’s digital offering.

“We’re rapidly expanding, and we see the acquisition of Hire That Look as a positive step in achieving our ambitions of being the UK’s number one high street rental service.

“As more and more new players try to enter the market, our aim is to scale quickly, so consolidating the very best of Hirestreet and Hire That Look made perfect business sense.

“More and more people are becoming acutely aware that their own lifestyle and spending patterns can have a profound impact on sustainability and the environment. We firmly believe that renting in fashion will become commonplace for most in the very near future.

“I’m really excited about our growth plans and am thrilled to be able to officially announce this latest acquisition.”

Hirestreet is aimed 16 to 30-year-old women looking to rent one-off high street outfits for special occasions.

Alainnah Joyce, co-founder of Hire That Look, said: “Isabella’s understanding of the fashion industry coupled with our online user experience and technical capabilities makes for a potent force in what is becoming a very competitive industry.

“We look forward to watching Hirestreet go from strength to strength.”