New Concepts Are Back on the Agenda for Some Retailers
Aug 3, 2010 10:12 AM, By Elaine Misonzhnik
Melvita
Category: Beauty products
Coming from: France
Parent: L’Occitane
Current stores: 3, in Newport Beach, Calif., San Francisco and Seattle
Planned openings: At least one by 2011, in New York City. The company is using the three current locations to gauge what kind of an expansion it can support in the U.S.
Average store size: 850 sq. ft.
Target audience: Health- and beauty-conscious women between the ages of 25 and 45
Buzz: “It will definitely attract a consumer who appreciates organic and leads a healthy lifestyle,” says Lynn Beck, general manager for Pacific Place, a 325,000-square-foot retail center where Melvita’s Seattle store is based.
Freshii
Category: Food
Parent: Freshii
Coming from: Canada
Current stores: 4, including Chicago, Washington D.C. and Denver.
Planned openings: The chain would like to end the year with 40 stores in the U.S. Long-term, it is aiming for approximately 1,000 stores in North America.
Average store size: 800 to 1,500 sq. ft.
Target audience: What the chain’s founder, Matthew Corrin, describes as “mass affluents”
Buzz: Freshii’s food comes wrapped in eco-friendly packaging made from vegetable starches and can be ordered in advance. “It’s healthful, quick service food,” says Andrew Moger, president and CEO of BCD, the New York City-based firm which represents Freshii.
Microsoft
Category: Computers and related gadgets
Parent: Microsoft Corp.
Current stores: 4, including in Arizona, California and Colorado
Planned openings: Unknown
Average store size: Approximately 7,500 sq. ft.
Target audience: PC lovers
Buzz: Microsoft will continue to test its early stores close to its home base, in Redmond, Wash. But judging by the record traffic at the Microsoft store at Macerich’s Scottsdale Fashion Square, it won’t be long before the company opens stores nationwide. “If things work out for them, and all indications are it will, they can have major expansion across the country,” Healey notes.
Little Monkey Bizness
Category: Coffee and playground
Parent: Monkey Bizness Holdings
Current stores: 6
Planned openings: 100 over the next 18 to 24 months; up to 200 in the next five years
Average store size: 6,000 to 8,000 sq. ft.
Target audience: Upper middle class parents who’d like to drink their coffee in peace and kids looking for amusements
Buzz: The chain offers parents a full line of gourmet coffees and healthy snacks while catering to kids. Little Monkey Bizness prefers to open stores in anchored shopping centers with easy access to major thoroughfares.
Desigual
Category: Apparel
Coming from: Spain
Current stores: 5
Planned openings: Unknown
Average store size: 4,000 to 6,000 square feet, but the chain is flexible
Target audience: Desigual means “different” in Spanish and that’s what the retailer tries to offer, something different for everyone, says Cheryl Rose-Mack, principal of Columbus, Ohio-based CM&R Group, Desigual’s U.S. broker.
Buzz: The chain sells colorful, fashion-forward apparel and so far, shows major expansion potential, says Healey. Desigual will consider locations in malls and on urban streets, as long as they boast a high fashion, high traffic image, adds Rose-Mack.
Rain
Category: Bath and beauty products, gifts
Parent: Rain Africa
Coming from: South Africa
Current stores: None; one is coming on line later this year in New York City
Planned openings: Unknown
Average store size: 1,000 to 1,500 sq. ft.
Target audience: Women between the ages of 25 and 45
Buzz: Rain sells natural, handmade bath and body products ranging from soaps to candles to back scrubbers. “All their packaging is recyclable and they support ethical trading, which is a big issue in Africa,” says Michael Stone, senior director with Cushman & Wakefield, who’s representing Rain in the United States. Rain plans to take locations in tourist areas and regional malls.
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