New Concepts Are Back on the Agenda for Some Retailers
Aug 3, 2010 10:12 AM, By Elaine Misonzhnik
Crazy 8
Category: Children’s apparel
Parent: The Gymboree Corp.
Current stores: 91
Planned openings: 28 during the second quarter of fiscal 2010 alone, 75 to 100 by the end of the year
Average store size: Approximately 2,200 sq. ft.
Target audience: Children, from newborns to early teens
Buzz: Janet LaFevre, senior marketing director with the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif., where Crazy 8 recently signed a new lease, says the chain offers fashionable clothes at lower price points than Gymboree stores. A pair of jeans at a Crazy 8 store costs $6.99, versus $28.75 at Gymboree.
Zoup!
Category: Food
Parent: Zoup! Fresh Soup Company
Current stores: 26
Planned openings: 34 stores by the end of 2010, 70 by the end of 2013 and more than 100 by 2015
Average store size: 2,000 to 2,200 sq. ft.
Target audience: White collar office workers and support staff, busy moms
Buzz: Zoup! is an upscale fast casual chain that has developed hundreds of soup recipes by testing them on friends and family, says Eric Ersher, the company’s founder and managing partner. Flavor choices run from Lobster Bisque to Sicilian Pizza and there are options available for people with diet restrictions and allergies. f
P.S. from Aeropostale
Category: Apparel
Parent: Aeropostale Inc.
Current stores: 14
Planned openings: 25 to 30 in fiscal 2010
Average store size: Approximately 2,400 square feet
Target audience: Elementary school children between the ages of 7 and 12
Buzz: Like its parent chain, P.S. from Aeropostale focuses on casual clothes and accessories. So far, real estate insiders who have seen the stores have been impressed. “They’ve been extremely, extremely successful,” Healey says.
AllSaints
Category: Apparel and accessories
Coming from: United Kingdom
Current stores: 4 in New York, Boston, Miami and Los Angeles. New openings are already planned for Chicago, San Francisco and Santa Monica, Calif.
Planned openings: According to published reports, the company would like to open 30 stores stateside over the next three years
Average store size: 8,500 to 10,000 square feet
Target audience: Urban, fashion-conscious consumers between the ages of 20 and 50. The stores sell clothes for men, women and children.
Buzz: AllSaints’ New York store reportedly made $1 million in its first two weeks. The chain is named after All Saints Rd. in Notting Hill, London.
Hot Mama
Category: Apparel and accessories
Parent: Hot Mama
Current stores: 16
Planned openings: 6 in 2011, 8 in 2012. The firm plans to grow its store base 33 percent on annual basis.
Average store size: 2,500 sq. ft.
Target audience: Affluent 30-something women with kids, moms to be
Buzz: Hot Mama aspires to be a boutique store in a kid-friendly setting. Property owners at centers say the chain develops a loyal following among local women with its cool designer duds.
Ted Baker
Category: Apparel
Coming from: United Kingdom
Current stores: 9 at the beginning of 2010
Planned openings: 50 worldwide in the next five years
Average store size: 2,500 to 3,000 sq. ft.
Target audience: Fashion-conscious men and women with aspirational shopping tendencies
Buzz: What sets Ted Baker apart is that the brand has a very clear brand image and a sense of humor about itself, says Laura Pomerantz, principal of PBS Real Estate LLC, whose firm represents Ted Baker in the United States. “It’s not an ordinary designer label. It has spirit and personality and a good price point relative to its design value,” she notes.
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