In the news: Cath Kidston chief executive Kenny Wilson profiled

The likeable Scot was in chipper spirits as he stood amid a flurry of customers on opening day and explained the store’s significance. “This store really acts as a beacon for the whole of the UK and also our international business,” he told Retail Week.

“Cath Kidston is a quintessentially British brand so it was very important for us to pick a location for a flagship that really felt British.”

The opening is a significant step for the retail boss. Just two years after joining, Wilson is planting a flag in the ground in the heart of London’s tourist hub, devising its international growth and driving revenue as the retailer eyes options which could include a sale of the business, which is thought to have been valued at £250m.

The 46-year-old is no stranger to expanding businesses after gleaning a wealth of experience in product and overseas retail.

Wilson began his retail career as a graduate trainee in 1987 with K Shoe Shops after studying English at Aberdeen University. Wilson had been on the books of the city’s football club as a youngster when a certain Sir Alex Ferguson was first team manager.

After a spell as a merchandiser for Topshop within the Burton Group, Wilson joined Levi’s in 1990 as a planning manager and subsequently propelled the European division of the jeans giant’s business, opening more than 250 new stores.

During his 18 years with the Levi Strauss Corporation, Wilson held a raft of roles including senior vice-president of European commercial operations and brand president, amassing a wealth of fashion retail experience.

It was this pedigree that landed him the position of president of Claire’s Accessories’ European business in late 2008, when he oversaw 10 countries.

Wilson, who has lived in Belgium, Milan and Warsaw, said in an interview with the Telegraph in March he likes to learn from his mistakes when it comes to expanding overseas.“If I can roll up my sleeve and show you a scar from where I’ve made a mistake, that scar reminds me when I go into a new country,” he said. 

But in Cath Kidston, Wilson met a new challenge. Appointed in 2011, he joined fellow former Levi’s executive Paul Mason, now Cath Kidston chairman, to devise a plan to expand the iconic British brand’s international presence while retaining the cachet of the 20-year-old brand’s floral prints. 

Mindful of the retailer’s exit from the US due to infrastructure issues in 2008, Wilson’s initial remit was to carefully expand on its existing operations in the UK, Ireland, Japan and Korea. 

Yet over the past 18 months, he has led store openings in new markets across Europe and Asia including France and Spain as well as Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. He still sees opportunity in the UK too, and is seeking to expand the current 61 shops here to 75 in the long term. 

In taking up his position, Wilson was also charged with the unique task of handling and leading a brand alongside its founder and creative director, Cath Kidston herself. But, he says, the pair have a respectful relationship, with each bringing their own strengths to the team. 

In fact, Wilson has been keen to adopt the quirky retailer’s style in his office, which was designed by Kidston and features a pink-and-yellow pointilliste executive chair. 

With 10 of the last 15 years spent working abroad, and a current strategy that saw him flying in from Tokyo hours before the Piccadilly opening, Wilson does much of his work at 30,000 feet. But he has his feet firmly on the ground when it comes to Cath Kidston.