Austrian glassware firm opens first UK store in West Midlands

Austrian glassware manufacturer, Riedel Crystal, has moved into the UK retail sector with the opening of its first store.

The company, which has its UK headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent, has not strayed too far from its base, opting to open the new store at Trentham Shopping Village and Gardens, on the Trentham Estate.

Riedel has already successfully opened stores in markets such as Germany, Austria and Japan, and is now hoping to replicate that success in the UK.

To help give it an authentic feel, the new shop, which has created five jobs and will be used to support the firm’s nearby HQ, has been modelled on Riedel’s flagship store in Austria.

The company also has ambitions to extend its product offering by developing a vineyard and winery to work in conjunction with the retail outlet.

Steve McGraw, managing director, Riedel UK, said: “We have retail shops currently in Germany, Austria and Japan and so it was a natural progression for us to open our first store in the UK.

“We chose Trentham as a location not only because it is close to our UK headquarters, but because we were very impressed with the regeneration and development of the site, and very significant number of visitors who visit the Estate.

“As we specialise in wine glasses, the Vineyard and Winery, which is planned for the future, is an added bonus and we believe that we can complement each other’s activities well.”

The Trentham Estate is a major leisure and specialist shopping attraction, set in 725 acres of restored gardens and parkland.

It was restored in the 1990s by Longbridge-based St. Modwen and has subsequently attracted more than £100m of investment.