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| Typical Spanx store layout |
Shapewear manufacturer trims its retail plans
Atlanta-based Spanx has decided to eliminate new retail store openings including the flagship store planned for Buckhead Atlanta. The new Spanx flagship would have been located at street level, below the new Spanx headquarters, within the project. Spanx headquarters is currently in the Sovereign building (3344 Peachtree Road), but will relocate to three floors and at least 86,000 square feet at Buckhead Atlanta this May.
Atlanta-based Spanx has decided to eliminate new retail store openings including the flagship store planned for Buckhead Atlanta. The new Spanx flagship would have been located at street level, below the new Spanx headquarters, within the project. Spanx headquarters is currently in the Sovereign building (3344 Peachtree Road), but will relocate to three floors and at least 86,000 square feet at Buckhead Atlanta this May.
Strangely, while this change was reportedly quietly made months ago, the Buckhead Atlanta website still has a page dedicated to the Spanx flagship.
The first Spanx boutique opened ahead of the 2012 holiday season in the upscale Tyson's Corner Center in Virginia.
Currently, Spanx operates ten branded boutiques in high end malls around the country. The company also has three airport boutiques including one at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. There has been no official announcement regarding the fate of the existing stores, but I'd wager a guess that only the airport stores will remain open in the long run, if any do.
As great a product as Spanx is, I feel it's better suited for sale in department and speciality stores, versus company-run retail stores. Spanx is not now, nor do I ever see it becoming a "lifestyle brand" deserving of an extensive retail network.
Spanx was started by entrepreneur Sara Blakely in 2000 and is today a billion dollar company. The namesake shapewear line, Spanx, is available at retailers such as Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus. Assets was launched as a more economical option and is available at stores such as Target and Kohl's. Spanx also launched a men's line in 2010 (that should be called "SPX") that features boxers and shirts.
Former Nike head of apparel Jan Singer was appointed CEO of Spanx last year, replacing Laurie Ann Goldman, who had stepped down a few months earlier.