The End of This Chapter: Thank You, Smith Street

Tomorrow, the doors of the Diffuse Retail store on Smith Street will open for the final time.

It feels strange to write that. Emotional, yes, but also incredibly full. Because what these last two years have been is not a failure, or a step back from an idea I’ve stopped believing in. This is a pause. A deliberate one. And one I’m choosing with pride, gratitude and clarity.

When I opened the store, I had a simple but slightly unconventional ambition: to bring fashion rental to the high street. Not as a gimmick, but as a genuine alternative to buying. To create a space where women could see, touch, try on and trust something new. And together, we proved that it worked.

What We Built Together

Over the last two years:

• 350+ rental bookings were made

• Nearly 6,000kg of CO₂ emissions were saved

• 200+ women rented, with 99% being completely new to fashion rental

• Our most-rented dress was worn six times, saving the equivalent emissions of a London to Paris flight

• One customer rented 11 times in just 24 months

• We achieved a 30% repeat customer rate

• And received 37 organic, glowing 5-star Google reviews

But numbers only ever tell part of the story. The real magic happened in the moments between them.

The pop-ins “just to say hi”. The photos you sent of your rentals in the wild. The debates over rent vs buy. The laughter when you came back to return a dress and told me all the gossip from the night before. I was never just renting you a dress - I was lucky enough to be a tiny part of your weddings, parties, milestones and memories. And that is something I will always be deeply proud of.

Why Physical Retail Still Matters

Over the last two years, I was asked countless times: “Why not just do it online?!” “Isn’t the high street dying?!”

But what we built on Smith Street told a very different story.

In a world racing towards digital-only, AI-powered everything, I’ve become more convinced than ever that physical retail still matters. In fact, as the digital world becomes noisier, faster and harder to trust, real-world connection becomes more valuable - not less.

Diffuse Retail didn’t succeed because of algorithms alone. It succeeded because of:

Conversation

Fit advice

Trust

Human connection

And showing up, consistently, in person.

The high street gave the rental model credibility. And you gave it life.

Community, Always

Smith Street welcomed me in a way I’ll never forget. The other independent businesses, the support, the friendships - some of which I know will last a lifetime. I’ll miss being part of that daily rhythm more than I can properly put into words.

And to every single customer who chose to walk through the door, to try something new, to trust a different way of shopping - thank you. This recognition, these results, and these memories belong to all of us.

So… Why Pause Now?

Because belief alone isn’t enough. This pause is about reflection; understanding what worked brilliantly, where I could have been leaner or smarter, and how this idea can return in a way that delivers the scale and impact I know it’s capable of.

In the meantime, I’ll be spending more time with my children, learning, growing, and giving myself the space to think clearly about what Diffuse 2.0 could look like.

I truly believe this isn’t the end of the story. It’s simply the end of this chapter.

And I still believe (perhaps more than ever) that real-world connection will matter more in the future, not less.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the memories, the trust, and the community. And watch this space.

Hannah, Founder of Diffuse Retail x