National franchise manager Shane O'Dell said the south-west's response to the new store, which opened at the end of January, had been amazing.

The Raglan Parade franchise, which is locally owned and operated, stocks a range of uniforms for workers including tradesmen, hospitality, corporate and hospital and aged care employees. 

Mr O'Dell said it was the group's largest Victorian premises, due to the needs of the massive catchment area it serviced. 

"We had forecasts of what we expected sales to look like in the early days and we've actually doubled it," Mr O'Dell said.

"I've been really pleasantly surprised and I think it's a really unique offering to have in Warrnambool. There's some other smaller players there, but certainly none as big as Totally Workwear.

"Warrnambool's our 78th store in Australia. We're now up over 80," Mr O'Dell said. "We're opening a new store every six weeks on average at the moment. We're in growth mode." 

Mr O'Dell said Totally Workwear was Australia's largest retailer of workwear products and prided themselves on being the home of the biggest brands.

The national network of franchises has been around for 22 years. He said it was a one-stop shop from head to toe for all tradies, stocking everything from work boots to sun glasses.

"We're only seven weeks in but the engagement from customers in the area has been amazing," he said.

"We're backed by King Gee, Hard Yakka, FXD and Steel Blue and all these big brands that you can get in one location. Everyone loves their Hard Yakka and King Gee in Victoria that's for sure."

Mr O'Dell said they had been looking at the Warrnambool market for a long time but it was a matter of finding the right local host for the store.

"It's really important for us to find a local that has grown up in the region and knows the people. We finally found the right host, they're a really good fit for us," Mr O'Dell said. 

The store is owned and operated by Warrnambool accountant Catherine Simpson and her sons and tradesmen Nick Murnane and Chris Smid who have national and international experience. They are joined by two staff members with more than 20 years' experience selling safety and workwear.  

Ms Simpson has worked in accounting in the city for the past 25 years and said she saw the potential for the new store.

"It's been phenomenal," Ms Simpson said. "We've been overwhelmed with the support. We've been absolutely stunned.

"We haven't had to ask for any business, people have just come in and said 'will you do our workwear and our embroidery?'" 

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