Page 10 - March 2023 #179

AMERICAS

ONLINE BABY REGISTRY GIANT BABYLIST TO
OPEN FIRST RETAIL STORE

An online registry that served over nine million
new parents and gift-givers in 2022 is making its first
permanent foray into brick-and-mortar.
Oakland, California-based Babylist will open an
18,000sq ft flagship this summer in Beverly Hills, California,
in a space that formerly housed Anthropologie/BHLDN.
Babylist will offer an experiential and interactive
experience that gives parents-to-be the opportunity to
test-and-try products in a “celebratory” environment,
the company said. The store will include such features
as a “guided” registry experience, brand integrations, gift
boutique and blended physical and digital content that
helps customers understand products.
The flagship follows pop-ups called Cribs, that Babylist
tested last year in both Los Angeles and New York City.
The temporary outposts were only open for a couple
of days.

ALO IS LAUNCHING AN IMMERSIVE DIGITAL VERSION OF ITS BRICK-AND-MORTAR ALO YOGA STORES THAT INCLUDES VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) COMPONENTS. THE DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER
ACTIVEWEAR BRAND IS WORKING WITH METAVERSE PLATFORM OBSESS TO ROLL OUT THE VIRTUAL STORE. THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE INCLUDES DIGITAL STYLING CAPABILITIES,
STREAMING BEAUTY AND WELLNESS TUTORIALS, VIRTUAL WORKOUT CLASSES THAT ARE TYPICALLY ACCESSIBLE TO PAID SUBSCRIBERS OF THE ALO MOVES FITNESS PLATFORM AND
SEAMLESS CHECKOUT. CUSTOMERS CAN VIRTUALLY BROWSE, LEARN ABOUT AND SHOP ALO MERCHANDISE AND BUILD CUSTOM OUTFITS TO VISUALISE HOW DIFFERENT PRODUCTS
WILL LOOK ON THEM. USERS CAN INTERACT WITH THE STORE ENVIRONMENT VIA DESKTOP, MOBILE OR THE META QUEST 2 VR HEADSET.
SUR LA TABLE IS PLOTTING ESPRIT WORKING ON A
MAJOR EXPANSION COMEBACK IN THE US

Sur La Table is moving back into expansion mode nearly three years A brand that once defined California cool is plotting its US
after it closed a good number of its stores. comeback. It’s also on the hunt for a world-class architectural
The upscale kitchenware retailer plans to open four new locations firm to assist in modernising the brand’s heritage.
by summer, with stores at Bayshore, an open-air centre in Glendale, Esprit said that it has signed a lease with Hudson Square
Wisconsin; The Shops at Farmington Valley in Canton, Connecticut; Properties in New York City for what will become the company’s
and The Westchester in White Plains, New York. It will also open a new global creative headquarters. The deal includes more than
location at Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany. 38,000sq ft across two floors at 160 Varick Street, which is
The upcoming openings follow Sur La Table’s return to the situated in downtown Manhattan.
markets of Omaha, Neb., and Alexandria, Va., in 2022 with new The offices will serve as the headquarters for the brand’s global
store openings. design, branding, creative and marketing efforts. While Esprit’s
“By expanding our retail footprint strategically, we’ve targeted global headquarters will remain based in Hong Kong, the NYC
specific markets providing new and familiar communities with a space signals the brand’s return to the US. Esprit was founded in
retail destination that offers the 50 years of cooking expertise that 1968, in San Francisco.
the brand is known for,” said Jordan Voloshin, CEO of Sur La Table. In a statement, Esprit CEO William Pak, who took the reins
“We are enthusiastic about returning to locations where Sur La of the company in March 2022, said the decision to move the
Table has previously operated in, as well as entering new markets creative headquarters to New York City was done as the brand
and reaching new customers across the country.” looks “to resonate with a global audience.”

10 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL MARCH 2023