Dive Brief:
- DTC active apparel brand Rhone opened a new 1,700 square foot store last Friday in Boston’s popular Seaport district, per a release sent to Retail Dive.
- This marks the brand’s 15th store and 12th store opening in the past year as the company ramps up its retail footprint.
- The Boston Seaport store carries the brand’s menswear products and will add women’s apparel to the mix when that new category is launched in stores and online next May.
Dive Insight:
Boston Seaport — an area with office, residential, hotel and retail spaces — has become a hub for such DTC brands. Companies like Fjällräven, Mack Weldon, Peter Millar, Rag & Bone and Warby Parker opened locations there.
The opening of a Boston Seaport store comes as Rhone rapidly expands its footprint.
“Rhone is continuing to grow,” Nate Checketts, Rhone co-founder and chief executive officer, said in an email to Retail Dive. “In the coming months we are focusing on investing in the highest quality products, innovation and our brand mission focused on mental fitness, including some really incredible partnerships we are excited to announce in Q1 2024.”
A company spokesperson said that Rhone is “optimistic about our retail growth and continuing to expand retail from a strategic mindset, being very selective about locations, size, adjacencies [and] evaluating several new opportunities for 2024.”
The retail expansion started after L Catterton in July 2022 sold its minority stake in the brand to a group including Rhone’s management, as well as notable business and sports personalities.
Founded in 2014 as a men’s athletic apparel brand, Rhone has long espoused the concept of community, which includes raising awareness around mental health and providing tools and resources to individuals to navigate relationships. One such example is Rhone's Mind & Muscle events which typically take place at Rhone's retail stores, and feature a 25-30 minute workout followed by a mental health discussion.
Rhone is sold through 70 Equinox locations, and available nationwide at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Scheels, Von Maur, select CorePower Yoga locations, and more than 350 gyms and specialty stores, per the company.
