Downtown-based clothing retailer Forever 21 plans to open 14 new stores across the U.S., starting with a new location in Calexico, which opened in August.
The Calexico store at the Gran Plaza Outlets kicks off the series of openings across the country through June of next year.
Winnie Park, chief executive of the company, said that consumers were returning to in-store shopping.
“While our online business remains strong and a key component of our growth strategy, we love interacting with our consumers in-store,” Park said in a statement. “We’re excited to open 14 new locations and bring Forever 21’s LA style and attitude to our consumers.”
In addition to the Calexico store, the other new locations to open in the coming months are at The Outlets at Tejon in Tejon Ranch; Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh; Las Vegas Premium Outlets North in Las Vegas; Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora, Illinois; Warwick Mall in Warwick, Rhode Island; The Outlets of Des Moines in Altoona, Iowa; Grove City Premium Outlets in Grove City, Pennsylvania; Norfolk Premium Outlets in Norfolk, Virginia; Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis, Massachusetts; The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta in Woodstock, Georgia; Mayaguez Mall in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico; Leesburg Premium Outlets in Leesburg, Virginia; and Florida Keys Premium Outlets in Florida City, Florida.
Forever 21 Chief Marketing, Digital and Omni Officer Jacob Hawkins said consumers are purchasing items for a range of activities.
“We’re also seeing even more customers choosing the buy online, pick up in-store option, and these 14 new stores reflect our commitment to ensuring we have the local inventory to meet demand for this increasingly popular omni shopping model,” he said in a statement.
Authentic Brands Group in New York City acquired Forever 21 in February 2020 in a deal with Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners. In May of last year, Brookfield sold its stake in Forever 21 for $63 million.
