The Lew family’s involvement with Myer just increased substantially.

Not because of anything Solomon Lew has done, but because his son’s very successful homewares company, Global Retail Brands (GRB), has entered into an agreement with the venerable department store to launch 136 outlets in Myer stores across Australia.

The outlets will include The Custom Chef, The Cook Shop and salt&pepper. GRB only acquired the latter in April.

All three are homewares brands. The Custom Chef focuses on kitchenware, The Cook Shop on cookware, and salt&pepper on tableware and décor.

The stores will all operate as department store concessions – that is, a store within a store.

That’s an arrangement that both parties say they’re pleased with.

Myer customers will soon have plenty of homewares to choose from

Referencing the success GRB has already had partnering with department stores in Canada, Denmark, South Africa and the US, Steven Lew recently told the AFR, “We’re committed to meeting our customers where they like to shop, and Myer’s extensive footprint creates a perfect platform that enables us to reach even more Australian homes. Concession stores have long been a success story for department stores and retail brand owners… The Custom Chef and The Cook Shop have enjoyed tremendous success in specialty and department stores internationally.”

Myer’s chief merchandise officer, Belinda Slifkas, was similarly upbeat, saying, “By forging strategic partnerships like this, we unlock the power of our national footprint for suppliers, while curating a compelling mix of sought-after brands for our customers.”

Steven Lew chairs GRB, which also owns Baccarat, Bessemer, House, MyHouse and Robins Kitchen.

It operates around 300 concessions overseas and is Australia’s largest independent homewares retailer.