My 1st Years, the baby and children's gift brand, has sparked excitement among North East shoppers by hinting it will open its first store in the region. A post on the brand's Instagram page at the weekend invited followers to guess the location of a new store, with clues pointing to Newcastle.
Instagram clues point to Newcastle
The announcement post was accompanied by an image of a magpie, a bird closely associated with the city. A second slide featured a mocked-up map of Newcastle and Gateshead, with illustrations of landmarks including Castle Keep, the Millennium Bridge, the Baltic and the Angel of the North.
My 1st Years already has a presence in other UK cities, with stores in Harrods in London and Selfridges in Manchester and Birmingham, as well as a strong online business. The brand has not yet opened in the North East, but the social media post suggests that could change.
Brand popularity and reaction
The post has gathered over 200 likes so far. My 1st Years' Instagram account has close to half a million followers, and the brand is popular with families, celebrities and royalty.
The brand describes its mission as marking life's earliest chapters with gifts that offer "more meaning, more status, more story." An official announcement about the Newcastle store has not yet been made.
