Luxury brand name retailer Lusso has reopened its renovated and expanded Front Street store.

Part of the TESS Group of Companies, Lusso will offer clothing for the first time, as well as the luxury accessories it specialised in before.

TESS announced in January that its luxury women’s clothes store Cecile was to close after a 60-year presence on Front Street. Now Lusso, at 51 Front Street, has absorbed the Cecile business and offers many of the brands the former store offered.

The new-look Lusso has been open since last Monday and Julie Currelly, womenswear fashion director at TESS Group, said it had been a big hit with customers.

“Now we offer ready-to-wear clothing, so our customers can do an entire wardrobe shop here,” Ms Currelly said.

“We can now offer a mini luxury department store experience to customers, which is something quite novel in Bermuda.”

Despite the tough economy of recent years, Ms Currelly said the luxury retail market remained strong on the Island.

“There is no doubt that the exodus of exempt-company executives from the Island has impacted the higher end of the market,” she said. “But there are still a lot of people in Bermuda who are very well-to-do.

“You have to stay at the top of your game and work hard to keep those customers interested, however.”

Lusso will continue to carry brands like Ferragamo, Fendi, Jimmy Choo and Geox accessories, while brands like Rebecca Minkoff, LK Bennett and Ted Baker now have clothing and accessories on offer in the same space.

Cécile favourites like Lilly Pulitzer, Trina Turk, Emilio Pucci and Luisa Spagnoli have now relocated to Lusso and new names have been added to the selection, including Emporio Armani accessories and Rachel Zoe clothing.