 |
| Club Monaco's Fifth Ave. store in New York with Toby's Estate Coffee |
Retailer cancels planned store.
Club Monaco, the trendy apparel retailer, has decided not to open a new store at Westside Provisions District. The store was to have opened in the corner space behind YEAH! Burger where local store Crafted previously operated a pop-up shop.
Club Monaco filed a "commerical alteration" building permit with the City of Atlanta on April 15th, 2016 for:
"CLUB MANACO #A01&A02 NEW TENANT INTERIOR BUILD OUT AND ADDITION OF MEZZANINIE"
The store's construction was to expected to cost $2 million. No other permits were ever filed.
In July, the company took out an ad in Food & Wine magazine to promote its flagship and food-related locations in New York, Charleston, Washington and Montreal. The ad revealed that the Atlanta store would also feature a food component, "West Side Provisions Cafe."
The Charleston store on King Street, which was to have featured "Root + Spiller" by Chef Hugh Acheson, did open, but without Acheson's cafe concept. An employee I reached at the store was "not authorized" to even confirm whether or not the store has any food component. A local source indicates the store does not have a food or beverage element, and that the store is women's only, similar to the rumored plan for the Westside unit.
Club Monaco renovated and expanded their store at Lenox Square in Buckhead in 2012, and has been enjoying a renewed interest in the brand since the refresh. Started by Canadians Joe Mimran, Saul Mimran and Alfred Sung in Toronto in 1985, the chain was purchased by Ralph Lauren in 1999 for $52.5 million.
Ralph Lauren announced plans earlier this month to shutter their New York flagship on Fifth Avenue and close other unspecified stores in an initiative refered to as the "Way Forward Plan," an effort aimed at reducing costs.
Additionally, the new strategy includes exploration of "new retail concepts," such as the Ralph's Coffee brand, which the company debuted at the Fifth Avenue store in 2014, and announced plans earlier this year to expand to the company's Regent Street shop in London.
The Fifth Avenue store is slated to close this Saturday, and is currently offering a whopping 30% off of in-stock merchandise.
It was not immediately clear whether the unspecified store closures would be exclsuive to the Ralph Lauren brand or could include Club Monaco stores as well.
Are you surprised that Club Monaco has deciced not to open on the Westside? Are you a fan of the Club Monaco brand? What would you like to see open at Westside Provisions District in lieu of Club Monaco?
Please share your thoughts below.
4 comments:
Club Monaco is also eliminating all retail visual merchandising managers and supervisors positions as part of the "Way Forward Plan," an effort aimed at reducing costs.
The Way Forward plan might as well be called the "going all e-com" plan
The crime in the "west side" is still very rampant. I would not open a business there.
It's the Polo flagship on 5th that's closing. Both the men's and women's flagship mansions for Ralph Lauren on Madison are still open.
Post a Comment