Cult water-bottle brand Frank Green to open new stores after Chadstone kiosk success

Australian sustainable lifestyle brand Frank Green will expand its retail footprint this year, with plans to open five new stores around Australia before the end of 2025.

The move follows the success of its first flagship which opened in February this year at Chadstone Shopping Centre.

The white glove approach and immersive store experience has proven so successful the brand is set to take on more bricks and mortar concept stores, and though none have officially been announced, it is looking to bring stores to other Australian capitals.

Frank Green launched in 2013 and hit cult status among Gen Z followers a few years ago; causing a social media frenzy across TikTok and Instagram declaring it a go-to water bottle must-have.

The Frank Green kiosk at Chadstone Shopping centre. Picture: Supplied

The tween to twenty-something demographic is still infatuated with their product – and when you add personalisation and the ability to mix and match lids and bottles for extra street cred – you have a recipe for success. Bringing the Frank Green brand to the shopping centre model made sense, considering the Gen Z faithful head here to shop in packs on a regular basis.

With more than 1.3 million likes on TikTok; Frank Green’s decision to expand at a grassroots level is a strategy they hope to see it pivot into more homes.

The Chadstone kiosk is constructed using more than 1600 chrome ceramic reusable bottles; a fluid retail experience that is instantly noticeable when you walk past. Chic, sustainable and eye catching, the essence is to fly the flag on its kaleidoscope of water bottle functions to a range of pet products, food storage and lunch box alternatives.

According to founder and chief executive Benjamin Young, innovation is the driving force behind his passion for the brand, as is seeing it expand its retail footprint.

“We wanted to open a retail store two years ago but we couldn’t get our orders out with the growth of the business. Logistically it couldn’t happen,” Mr Young says.

Plans to enter a retail space were put on hold due to their growth in 2023 – which saw them unable to keep up with warehouse demands.

“Moving to our 9-acre Dandenong South facility has allowed that, and it means we now have the space and logistics to be more consistent and manage that growth,” Mr Young says.

The stand-alone retail space was two years in the making. Picture: Supplied

Nestled among other luxury fashion brands at Chadstone, Frank Green is attainable and aspirational at once.

“The success of the new kiosk at Chadstone is a sign that people want to see the product up close and also curious about what else we offer,” Mr Young says.

Frank Green has more than 297,000 followers on Instagram; and it’s here they always begin their marketing pitch. They release limited edition colours, muted tones for chic additions in the home and pops of colour to draw more attention to the water bottle you carry. There are more artist collaborations than influencer endorsed content here.

The kiosk features columns made of chrome water bottles. Picture: Supplied

“From the time you start the day to when you go to bed, we have a solution. Take-away containers are way worse as a plastic problem than water bottles, and we have built them into our product range for those who want to find solutions to these sorts of daily problems,” Mr Young says.

“We want to show people the Frank Green magic and that sustainability can be irresistible and doesn’t need to be hard.  You don’t have to lose any style or functionality when you keep the environment front and centre.”

Mr Young is also looking to expand the business in Asia – with five stores already open in Indonesia from Jakarta to Bali.

“Our Indonesian expansion has been phenomenal and I see the sales results and it’s been wonderful for us,” he says. “Other places of interest as we go forward include Singapore, South Korea and Japan. A lot of Asia takes its lead from South Korea, so we’re really looking at having a foot print there too.”

Frank Green spends 40,000 hours a year on product development and hopes to raise that to 100,000 hours in the coming years.

The brand is set to expand into more physical retail spaces. Picture: Supplied

According to Mr Young, who works closely to bounce ideas with industrial design guru Jon Seddon, it’s all about putting their product to the test before it goes to market.

“We do stretch tests, we put things in salty baths, in vats over two days – we try and test them in all situations, and in turn, want to give them a product that is easy to use, ticks all the boxes and fits into their lives,” he says.

And that means every Tuesday without fail he’ll be uncontactable between 4 and 8pm, deep in product development talks. Their lunch box lid alone took five years to perfect with some savvy German technology in use.

“The meeting never gets cancelled or moved, our commitment to product development is that important to us.”