Friday, March 27, 2015

Retailer Leaves Avalon Before Opening

Clicks to bricks apparently not the formula for success 

Fort Myers, Florida-based Chico's FAS Inc. is reportedly putting a halt to any new Boston Proper store openings amidst a disappointing entry into retail.  The Boston Proper brand has been around for over 25 years but was originally a catalog company.  Boston Proper eventually offered e-commerce sales and was purchased by Chico's FAS in 2011. In 2013 Chico's introduced the first Boston Proper retail boutiques in Town Center at Boca Raton and The Shops at Coconut Point in Estero, Florida.   

Boston Proper entered the metro Atlanta market last year with a location on the first floor of Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody followed by a second location on the upper floor of Lenox Square in Buckhead.  

A third location was planned for Avalon in Alpharetta, but it is no longer slated to open.  The Avalon Boston Proper no longer opening marks the second retail stumble at the new complex.  C. Wonder closed its store at Avalon in early January, about 90 days after opening it.  In both cases, the Avalon was not necessarily to blame for the closures, but was left "holding the bag."

As of Chico's fourth quarter results for their fiscal year ended January 31st, 2015, Chico's operated 19 Boston Proper stores. Chico's also operates Chico's "frontline" stores and outlets, White House Black Market stores and outlets, and Soma Intimates stores and outlets in the US and Canada.

Given the recent developments, I would not be surprised to see all Boston Proper stores close within the next six to twelve months.  

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Boston Improper.

Anonymous said...

I used to be on their catalog mailing list, but there clothes have never been my style or taste. IMHO something a "Peg Bundy" stereotype would wear.

Anonymous said...

I work at one of the stores in avalon. None of the stores are doing well. Traffic is non existent during the day and restaurant oriented at night. Big trouble for the center if it can't get things turned around.

Anonymous said...

It may not be doing well because it is replicating a design pattern for which it cannot support. Avalon was built as a faux urbanism oasis in the middle of suburbia. While this idea sounds good to some, the truth is, you must have the fundamentals (connectivity, population density, and walkability) of a true urban environment lest this place just becomes in essence another dead suburban shopping mall.

Anonymous said...

exactly. makes no more sense than building enclosed malls in downtowns, which was all the rage in the 1970's and '90's. Its just a mall w/o a roof.

Anonymous said...

Visited it a few weeks ago when my parents where in town. Was not impressed with it at all. They are trying to bring a city feel to the burbs, with out lets say a Marta train running up there, "and i know so many are against that" its going to fail.

The Roswellian said...

If something like this were built RIGHT NEXT to Downtown alpharetta it would work, but just off the hwy?

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