[EXCLUSIVE] Cali-based Yoga Brand Entering Atlanta Market

Alo Yoga, a Los Angeles-based athletic apparel company, plans to enter the Atlanta market with a store in Buckhead.  The new store, which permits filed with the City of Atlanta indicate will be about 5,000 square feet, will open on the first floor of Lenox Square.  The company plans to spend an estimated $1.1 million to renovate the space to suit its needs according to the permit.  

The space that Alo would occupy, suite 3086 G, does not seem to exist, according to Lenox Square leasing materials.  That said, the most likely space for Alo to occupy would be suite 3086 F, a space similar in size and one that could be in play following Ted Baker's acquisition by Authentic Brands. (Representatives from Lenox Square refused to comment.)  The deal, which was announced in August and closed in late October, was valued at $254 million.  The Ted Baker store in Lenox Square opened October 21, 2016.   

The Alo space is being designed by New York-based Lalire March Architects, whose prior work includes the 13,000 square foot Alo flagship in New York, which in addition to retail, includes a yoga studio and plat-based rooftop restaurant, SUTRA, from chef Matthew Kenney.  

In addition to apparel for men and women, Alo offers a variety of other products such as books, jewelry, sunglasses and even a cosmetics collection.  

Alo, which stands for "Air, Land, Ocean," was started in 2007 and currently operates 28 full-line stores around the country, an outlet in California as well as a pair of stores in Toronto.  More than half of the brand's current stores are in either California or New York, with the retailer's southeast presence limited to a pair of stores in Florida in Miami and at The Gardens Mall in West Palm Beach.  

The Alo in Lenox would mark the seventh store in a Simon Property Group center, joining locations in Desert Hills Premium Outlets, Cabazon, California, Fashion Valley - San Diego, California, Stanford Shopping Center - Palo Alto, California The Domain - Austin, Texas, The Shops At Clearfork - Fort Worth, Texas and at The Westchester - White Plains, New York.  

Alo merchandise is also sold via department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, among others.  

In Buckhead, Alo joins several yoga-centric retailers with an existing presence.  In Lenox, Athleta from parent company Gap has a store on the mall's second floor, while in neighboring Phipps Plaza, FP Movement from parent company Free People (Urban Outfitters) has a store in the new Nobu wing.  Industry titan lululemon has several stores in metro Atlanta, but none bigger than its local flagship at the Shops Around Lenox, adjacent to Lenox Square.  

Outdoor Voices, another player in the athleisure space, is expected to open a new boutique in Buckhead Village (as well as in The Krog District) but it remains unclear just how soon either opening will take place.  

What is your favorite yoga-centric athletic apparel retailer?  Are you pleased with the new store openings that have taken place and are planned for Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza?  What is your favorite shopping center/mall in metro Atlanta?

Please share your thoughts below.