A look inside Eastbourne's new fashion shop 'Saltrock'

Saltrock opened in The Beacon today (Saturday, October 1) opposite Jack Wills. It’s a surfing brand that came from North Devon in the 1980s selling products for outdoor activities. The story started with two surfing brothers who came to England from South Africa. They started printing surf-inspired t-shirts in Cornwall and sold them out of the back of their car – Saltrock was born. Since then, the business has grown to more than 60 stores, an online site, and 100 wholesale accounts. This store is the 17th new site for Saltrock this year. A spokesperson for the brands says the products are ‘durable, wearable, practical, and comfortable, with bold graphics with attitude’.

Simon Lucas, Saltrock’s head of retail, said: “We are really excited about bringing Saltrock to The Beacon in Eastbourne, it is a perfect match for our brand heritage. We have a strong customer presence across the South East coast and when we were presented with this opportunity, in one of Sussex’s key shopping destinations, we jumped at the chance.”

Marie Clarke, head of brand and marketing, said: “This is a great step for the Saltrock brand. The new store environment celebrates the brand heritage while being relevant to each location. Our focus is on expanding our store estate, making sure Saltrock is accessible to as many new shoppers across the country as possible”

Eastbourne’s store manager Ellie Vallone said: “It's been a very busy week but so enjoyable, we've all bonded as a team and got to know each other. To see the shop come together has really put it into perspective how exciting and big this is."

Ellie said it’s been a busy first day. She said: “We've had a massive range of customers coming in and saying 'we're so happy you're finally here' and 'this is a massive extension to the Eastbourne shopping centre, it's brilliant'. It’s lovely to see the turnout and people have been complimenting on the range of stuff we have and the prices too.”

Although it started as a surfing brand, Ellie stressed Saltrock is not just for surfers. She said: “It’s very much a brand you can wear daily. I like to think it's something comfy you can wear after a day of surfing or any other outdoor activities.”