Coco Republic is to launch two flagship stores in California ahead of a progressive rollout in selected US markets and other global locations, the company has announced.
The plan coincides with the appointment of two key executives in the US: Eric Bauer as Global CEO and Skye Westcott as President of North America who will lead what Coco Republic, the Australian-founded furniture and homewares chain, describes as an “accelerated global expansion, initially focused on the California market”.
“Coco Republic is an exciting opportunity to introduce the leading Australian furniture and lifestyle brand to a global consumer,” said Bauer. “We believe that our product design ethos and Australian essence will resonate globally enabling us to build a global community, be an influential design-lead authority and act as a guide to those who seek a well-designed life.”
The US expansion will commence with a flagship store in San Francisco’s Union Square in October and another at Culver City in greater Los Angeles late this year. It follows the success of a partnership with Restoration Hardware and the launch of an outdoor collection at an HD Buttercup store in Los Angeles in 2019.
Underpinning the strategy is Coco Republic’s acquisition of the assets and intellectual property of California home furniture retailer HD Buttercup in October last year. Evan Cole, who founded HD Buttercup, has joined Coco Republic’s board and the Culver City store will open in a converted HD Buttercup site.
