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Shopping Centers Today -> December 2003
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LIZ CLAIBORNE OPENING STORES FOR SEVEN RETAIL CONCEPTS
The Mexx launch is just one element in a multibrand expansion initiative by parent company Liz Claiborne Inc. The New York City-based retail company is developing or expanding specialty store concepts for seven other proprietary fashion brands: Dana Buchman, Elizabeth (plus-size women’s fashions), Ellen Tracy, Juicy Couture (upmarket casual wear), Laundry by Shelli Segal, Lucky Brand (jeans) and Sigrid Olsen (women’s apparel).
Ellen Tracy, Mexx and Sigrid Olsen are new to the specialty arena this year. The first Ellen Tracy shop opened in September in the upscale Americana mall in Manhasset, N.Y., while six Sigrid Olsen stores are scheduled to be in place by year-end. Next year will bring the totals to two Ellen Tracy, 10 Mexx and 15 Sigrid Olsen stores and will also see the launch of the very first Juicy Couture store in Las Vegas.
At least 80 percent of the new stores will be located in shopping centers, according to Simon Dallimore, vice president of retail at Liz Claiborne. “We would be looking at ‘A’ centers for all brands, while Elizabeth and Sigrid Olsen might go into lifestyle centers,” he said. Multisite leases for more than one brand are a strong possibility at larger malls. “We have the ability to go to a landlord and tie up about 12,000 square feet instead of just 2,000 for an average store,” Dallimore said.
The expansion of these “own store” concepts takes Liz Claiborne beyond its traditional role as supplier of fashion brands to value, regular and upscale department and specialty stores. “I think they are recognizing that they need to be in more [retail] channels, and the specialty store concept, including Mexx, provides a way to do that,” said Lois Huff, senior vice president and apparel market specialist at Retail Forward, a retail strategy and research consulting firm in Columbus, Ohio. “It offers a new channel. Liz Claiborne has done a great job, but you can’t grow in the U.S. by relying on other people’s stores.”
— ST
 | Current Issue May 2012 |