Dive Brief:
- Parent company A.K.A. Brands is opening its first Princess Polly store in the U.S. on Friday located at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, according to a company press release.
- The apparel brand’s new store is 3,370 square feet and will feature about 200 on-trend Princess Polly styles at any given time, per the release.
- The new location will also host events such as influencer meet-and-greets, product launches and styling workshops.
Dive Insight:
Princess Polly’s store opening marks progress for the brand’s global growth.
“Opening our first store in the U.S. is a monumental milestone for Princess Polly,” Wez Bryett, co-CEO of Princess Polly, said in a statement. “We’re confident the brand will thrive as a physical retailer and we look forward to seeing its growth potential come to fruition. Based on feedback from our loyal customers, Los Angeles is the ideal first location to establish our retail footprint in the U.S., and we’re excited to pair the seamless online Princess Polly experience that American shoppers have grown to love with the convenience of a brick-and-mortar store at Westfield Century City.”
The brick-and-mortar expansion follows news in March that Princess Polly secured its first wholesale partnership with apparel retailer Pacsun. A selection of Princes Polly’s best-selling products is available in select Pacsun stores and online.
The fashion brand was founded in 2010 in Australia and sits in A.K.A. Brands’ portfolio which also includes Culture Kings, MNML and Petal & Pup.
Princess Polly’s expansion comes as A.K.A. Brands is experiencing declines in sales. The company in August reported its second quarter saw net sales drop 14.2% year over year to $136 million while its net loss increased 19.7% to $5 million.
“We continue to execute against our strategic initiatives and have made significant improvements in our operating efficiencies, which enabled us to deliver on our adjusted EBITDA and cash flow expectations for the second quarter,” Ciaran Long, CFO and interim CEO at A.K.A. Brands, said in a statement at the time.
