Dive Brief:
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Juicy Couture is, indeed, closing its U.S. stores, but contrary to recent reports, will also be opening and expanding concept stores in the U.S. with a range of new merchandise, the Authentic Brands Group LLC said yesterday.
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Authentic Brands Group bought the clothing retailer with the turn-of-the-21st century, L.A. vibe late last year from Kate Spade & Co.
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New North American stores will be concept stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, to open beginning next year, according to Authentic Brands, and JuicyCouture.com is re-launching. The company will focus on Juicy Couture’s Black Label Collection, which the company calls a “casual luxury lifestyle brand.”
Dive Insight:
Apparently Juicy Couture owner Authentic Brands has decided to set the record straight: Everyone can stop mourning the loss of Juicy because Juicy will be back. It doesn’t, however, sound like Juicy will really be back, at least not in its previous, iconic, form. The brand failed to evolve much beyond its famous track suit, and the closing of its current stores and the relegation of the brand to Kohl’s, at least until 2015 or so, will certainly be enough of a death knell to those who remember its peak popularity fondly.
Authentic Brands clearly has plans for the brand, which includes expansion in the U.S. as well as globally, and a new website. Kim Kardashian, meanwhile, has traded her Juicy track suit for Lululemon. That could easily change in 2015, but will that matter for Juicy Couture?
