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C+CT

Target at the Mall, China’s Pop Mart Pops Up in California and 8 More Tenant Updates

June 23, 2022

Advance Auto Parts: Over the past year, the automotive aftermarket parts retailer has opened 22 stores in the Los Angeles area as part of an expansion into the Western U.S. In spring 2021, it had announced it would expand into California by leasing and converting 109 Pep Boys stores and converting them to Advance stores. More than half of those 109 stores are in the Los Angeles area. “We estimate that 70% of our customers in Los Angeles fit the profile of the classic do-it-yourselfer,” said president and CEO Tom Greco. “Pairing that with the more than 7.6 million registered vehicles in Los Angeles’ unique car culture, this is a tremendous opportunity for Advance. Our timing couldn’t be better, as the average vehicle age increases while used car and gasoline prices are rising, resulting in greater demand for vehicle maintenance.” The biggest of the new locations is a 45,000-square-foot flagship in Pico-Union near downtown. Advance has 4,687 stores, including the new units.

Amazon Style: Amazon will open its second apparel store, at Columbus, Ohio’s Easton. The first Amazon Style opened in May near Los Angeles. Amazon Style is the online giant’s only physical apparel channel and uses advanced technologies like QR codes and touch screens to make the shopping process as seamless and limitless as possible.

Astrid & Miyu: The jewelry brand, which has 10 U.K. stores, opened its first store outside the U.K., in New York City. After testing pop-ups in different locations, the 10-year-old company chose Elizabeth Street in the Nolita neighborhood.

Beyond Yoga: New owner Levi Strauss & Co. is stretching the 17-year old Los Angeles yoga brand’s reach, planning physical stores across the U.S. The expansion kicked off with a 200-square-foot pop-up at The Grove in Los Angeles this week. A full-size, permanent Beyond Yoga will open in Santa Monica, California, this year. The company plans more stores where the brand has an established following, in California and beyond.

Chanel: The ultra-exclusive French luxury brand is getting so popular it needs to make its best customers feel more special. 2021 revenue rose 23% over pre-pandemic levels to $15 billion. The company, which has about 250 stores globally, plans to cater to its biggest spenders by opening private boutiques where top customers can avoid the crowds and shop in peace, CFO Philippe Blondiaux said. These exclusive stores will begin opening in top Asian markets in 2023.

Gap Inc.: The retail conglomerate opened four stores totaling 18,000 square feet at its new 15-level headquarters in San Francisco’s Embarcadero.  The four “laboratory” stores — one for each of the company’s brands: Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy — will serve as testing sites and places to gather customer feedback as the company tries new strategies and merchandise.

Miss A: The Texas-based, value-focused cosmetics brand has 15 units in its home state, strong sales growth and a large online following. Now, the seller of eye shadow, lip gloss and other makeup at a $1 price point is going national with a store in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and units planned for Arkansas and Oklahoma this summer.

Nordstrom: The department store operator is leaning heavily on off-price offshoot Nordstrom Rack for growth and profits. And because internal research showed that consumers aren’t likely to drive more than 15 to 20 minutes to shop a Rack store, the company plans more brick-and-mortar locations for the concept, CEO Erik Nordstrom said. The company has about 250 Rack stores and has signed four leases for next year. “People don’t go as far for the off-price business, so having that convenience is super important,” he told investors. “But we are cranking up that store-opening engine again, and we’re excited about it.”

Pop Mart: Collectible toys are becoming increasingly popular among Millennial shoppers eager to relive their childhoods. To capitalize on the trend, Chinese retailer Pop Mart, which sells toys inspired by pop culture, opened its first U.S. pop-up, a 2,148-square-foot shop in Costa Mesa, California’s South Coast Plaza. Pop Mart has 350 brick-and-mortar stores and 1,800 vending machines worldwide. The company did not say whether it plans to open permanent U.S. stores.

Pop Mart, also pictured at top

Target: The discounter will open a 126,000-square-foot, two-level store in the former Sears at Macerich’s Danbury Fair mall, Target’s first location in Danbury, Connecticut. The 1.5 million-square-foot center’s other anchors are JCPenney, Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Primark. Macerich has replaced empty anchor spaces successfully at other malls in its portfolio. In May, for example, the landlord announced a Scheels will backfill a Nordstrom at Chandler Fashion Center in Arizona.

By Brannon Boswell

Executive Editor, Commerce + Communities Today

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