The revolving door of stores continues to turn at local Simon malls. On the heels of several closures at Lenox Square including TYR, Moose Knuckles, Forever 21, and what seemed like a cameo appearance of Britto at Phipps Plaza, comes news that a pair of new names are coming soon
Creed, which according to the permit is coming to suite 1014, would replace existing tenant Robert Graham. Before the menswear retailer opened in the space it was home to Jimmy Choo before the luxury shoe designer decamped to The Shops at Buckhead (now Buckhead Village District). Jimmy Choo returned to Phipps Plaza, now near the ill-conceived food hall, in 2023.
The Creed space, measuring about 1,251 square feet according to the plans, would be situated just a few doors down from rival premium fragrance maker BYREDO.
Vacheron Constantin, one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world with an uninterrupted watchmaking history since its founding in 1755, is planned for suite 1013, a 1,361 square foot space currently home to luxury shoe designer Giuseppe Zanotti. Prior to Zanotti's opening in October 2013, the space - then a former Tory Burch due to their own move elsewhere in the mall - was earmarked for a Bvlgari store that never materialized.
Like Creed and BYREDO, the new Vacheron Constantin is just a couple of doors down from rival watchmaker Omega. For those unfamiliar, Vacheron Constantin watches start at about $20,000, with some timepieces fetching upwards of $100,000. The company is owned by French holding company Richemont whose holdings include Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Chloé, Dunhill, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Mr Porter, Net-a-Porter, Panerai, Piaget, Peter Millar, and Van Cleef & Arpels, among others.
Vacheron Constantin is the latest watch brand to attempt the Atlanta market. Hublot opened at Phipps Plaza in 2012 but was closed by 2018, after which Gucci expanded and took over its former space. Audemars Piguet and Rolex both operate boutiques at Lenox Square in partnership with Mayors, while Brown & Co. opened a stand-alone Patek Philippe boutique last month at Buckhead Village District.
The opening of second (unnecessary) locations of Gucci, Tiffany, and Balenciaga in Lenox Square in addition to those at Phipps Plaza has reportedly negatively affected the sales of the brand's Phipps boutiques, which has also affected foot traffic in general. Simply put, Atlanta is not and will never be Las Vegas, where high-fashion brands have multiple stores across the street from one another.
This latest pair of twin closings and openings comes on the heels of the flashy opening of Britto at the mall this past November, a store that lasted just a few months and is now, as ToNeTo Atlantafirst reported in February, being replaced by a new Bvlgari boutique. Earl of Sandwich, which closed in March and seemingly reopened, but with both abbreviated hours and an abbreviated menu, leads many to believe their return will not be for long.
In case you have not been to Phipps Plaza lately, it's a very strange place with uber luxury stores on the first floor, a smorgasbord of randomness and empty storefronts on the second floor, and Legoland, the movie theater, and some casual eateries on the third.
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| Some of the many vacancies at Phipps Plaza |
When was the last time you visited Phipps Plaza? Have you been to Citizens Market at Phipps Plaza? Do you think the two new stores will do well at Phipps Plaza?
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