Dive Brief:
- Athleisure apparel brand Vuori opened its 48th store this week in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C.
- The 3,758-square-foot store is located at 3222 M Street NW in a space that was once the main entrance to the enclosed shopping mall known as The Shops at Georgetown Park.
- Three additional Vuori stores are opening this month in Manhasset, New York; Southlake, Texas; and Aventura, Florida, which will give the brand 51 locations by year’s end.
Dive Insight:
Vuori is steadily building out its brick-and-mortar footprint after setting a goal about two years ago of opening 100 stores by 2026.
Both the 2,788-square-foot Manhasset store and the 4,717-square-foot Southlake locations will open this Friday, while the 3,689-square-foot Aventura store, located in the Miami area, opens on Nov. 21.
The Vuori move to Georgetown comes as more DTC brands head to the popular D.C. neighborhood to open stores. Other brands including Warby Parker, Glossier, Allbirds and Everlane operate stores in Georgetown. Vuori opened a location just outside of D.C. this past summer in Bethesda, Maryland.
Launched as a DTC brand in 2015, Vuori built its business around notable wholesale partnerships before deciding to broaden its scope into brick-and-mortar locations. Vurori is sold through retailers as Nordstrom and REI, plus fitness studios like Equinox, as well as independent outdoor and running stores.
Just two years ago Vuori brought in $400 million at a valuation of $4 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund 2.
And while some major DTC brands — such as Allbirds — have pulled back on new store openings, Vuori continues to expand.
“We are seeing great engagement and excitement from our local customers, which has encouraged us to continue our expansion plans in the U.S.,” Vuori Vice President of Retail Carolyn Pike told Retail Dive in August.
All but two of the brand’s stores are located in the U.S. Vuori operates a store in London’s Covent Garden, which opened in September 2022. The brand also has a store in Seoul, South Korea, and a pop-up in Shanghai.
Vuori in March 2022 opened its first international markets in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Australia and Canada through e-commerce and wholesale channels. The brand is also available through e-commerce and wholesale channels in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Middle East and Mexico.
