Dive Brief:
- Athletic streetwear brand Vuori on Friday opened its second New York City store on the city's Upper East Side to select brand invitees, according to details emailed to Retail Dive. The new store will have a hard opening to the public on December 15.
- The 3,200 square foot location at 1153 Madison Ave follows the brand’s launch of a 5,000 square foot New York flagship store in SoHo in October of 2022.
- The Upper East Side space will carry an equal mix of both men’s and women’s active athleisure apparel that includes its Holiday 2023 assortment.
Dive Insight:
Utilizing money from a $400 million investment in 2021 by Softbank, Vuori is on a path to reach 100 stores by 2026. The brand looks to launch 20-25 new stores every year for the next few years.
Catherine Pike, vice president of retail for Vuori, told Retail Dive in August that the company is on track to meet its lofty goal of 100 stores. “We are seeing great engagement and excitement from our local customers, which has encouraged us to continue our expansion plans in the U.S.,” she said.
Vuori has been able to juggle its DTC business with wholesale partnerships and retail stores and remain profitable, according to the company. At the time of its funding round, a company statement read: “With a strong e-commerce business, thriving brick-and-mortar stores, and a network of best-in-class wholesale partners, Vuori, unlike many other digitally native brands, has been profitable since 2017.”
Vuori is one of a handful of athleisure apparel brands that have broadened their retail presence in 2023 with new stores across the country. A recent report from JLL revealed that apparel retailers made up nearly half (48%) of overall prime corridor leases in 2023, up from 35% last year. And that athleisure retailers held 21% of new leases this year, including such prominent brands as Vuori, Lululemon, Alo Yoga and Hoka.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the name of Vuori's vice president of retail. It is Catherine Pike.
