FN rounds up all the store openings, closings and redesigns happening this month, from throughout the footwear industry. Send your retail news to web@footwearnews.com.
May 9, 2024: Italian luxury footwear brand Santoni has opened an exclusive pop-up inside Saks Fifth Avenue’s NYC flagship store. Open now through May 19, the pop-up celebrates the brand’s new Carlo suede loafer, an artisanal creation from the spring/summer 2024 collection. Drawing inspiration from the Le Marche region, the installation captures the natural beauty and color palette reminiscent of lush spring hills, vibrant blooms, and captivating sunsets of the area in Italy.
April 29, 2024: Skechers has opened its first concept store in Brussels. Located near Inno and City2 shopping, the new 5,270-sq.-ft. store at Rue Neuve 64 is designed in Skechers’ trademark modern décor—featuring a vaulted entry and a large mural of the brand’s Southern California hometown of Manhattan Beach, as well as a digital screen and illuminated displays. Along with the already opened Brussels Skechers store and the location opening in Bruges in mid-May, an additional Skechers store is opening in Kortrijk later this week, bringing the total Skechers retail store count to seven in Belgium. “Belgium has played a key role in Skechers’ business,” David Weinberg, chief operating officer of Skechers, said in a statement. “Wallonia is home to our European distribution center—the region’s largest—from where we serve consumers throughout Europe, and beyond. As a proud investor in the Belgium community and multi-year sponsor for Belgium-based Team WRT, we see more great opportunities to build our consumer-facing presence with these two new concept stores. Opening our doors in these capitals of business, tourism and culture is another natural step towards reaching our goal of $10 billion in annual revenues worldwide by 2026.”
April 26, 2024: Birkenstock has opened its first flagship store in Mumbai. Spread over 17,000-sq.-ft., the flagship store’s design incorporates brass, a locally produced material used in everyday life in the city. It is combined with natural materials such as cork, jute, and leather. The store showcases the latest spring/summer 2024 collection, featuring updated iterations of the most iconic silhouettes such as Arizona, Boston, Gizeh or Madrid as well as newly introduced styles and materials. As the only store in India, it also offers limited edition designer collaborations and sought-after drops from the brand’s creative studio and premium brand 1774. “The opening of our first Birkenstock flagship store, in India is a landmark moment for us,” Vinay Bansal, managing director of Birkenstock India, said in a statement. “The love for Birkenstock in India has been truly inspiring. We’re witnessing a passionate and ever-expanding consumer base who value not only the comfort and quality of our footwear, but also the brand’s commitment to heritage. This motivates us to continuously innovate and deliver exceptional experiences that resonate with our community.”
Mar. 7, 2024: Western boot and apparel company Ariat International opened its newest flagship store in Las Vegas. The location offers expert boot fittings and hat shaping and stretches almost 10,000 square feet. “We’re thrilled to have a brick-and-mortar presence in the entertainment capital of the world,” says Jared Ellis, Ariat’s vice president of consumer retail. “Roughly 40 million people travel to Las Vegas each year, so expanding our retail footprint to the Strip is an exciting next step for the brand. This is Ariat’s first brand shop in Nevada and the largest within our existing fleet. Customers can expect our widest selection of in-store products with style experts available to help achieve that perfect, authentic western look.”
Feb. 15, 2024: Skechers said on Thursday that it has surpassed 5,000 Skechers-branded retail store locations throughout more than 120 countries. Expanding the reach of Skechers shopping destinations currently operating globally, key openings leading up to the milestone have been in Chile, Greece, India, Mexico, South Korea, the United States, and the 5,000th store in Bogotá, Colombia. “Every Skechers store brings valuable engagement with consumers to build an increased awareness for our brand,” Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers, said in a statement. “It started in 1995 with the original Skechers store opening in Manhattan Beach near our corporate offices. From there, we opened our first international store in Japan, the 100th in Times Square, the 3,000th in China and now our 5,000th store in Colombia. Every location offers the same look and feel to carry the Skechers brand with consistency across six continents. With an additional 140 to 160 more Company-owned stores planned this year and hundreds of stores opening annually with our partners, we are on the road to 10,000 Skechers stores.”
Jan. 11, 2024: REI Co-op announced plans to open 10 stores in 2024. Stores that are slated to debut in the spring include Beavercreek, Ohio, and Beaverton, Ore. There are three stores scheduled to open in the summer, including two in formerly occupied retail spaces (Arrowhead Promenade in Glendale, Ariz., and The River in Rancho Mirage, Calif.) and a third in Ithaca, N.Y. And in the fall, REI confirmed it will open in Albany, N.Y., and Tulsa, Okla. As for 2025, REI stated it will open a store in Durango, Colo., in the spring and in St. George, Utah, in the formerly occupied St. George Place in the fall. The stores, according to REI, will offer apparel, gear and expertise for cycling, running, hiking and more, and will feature full-service bike shops. As for the Utah location, REI will also include a ski and snowboard shop.
