Kim Kardashian's Skims is opening permanent stores across the US.
The first is in Georgetown, D.C. and is being opening on Thursday (13.06.24), followed by Aventura, Florida, Austin and Houston, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia.
Robert Norton, Skims' chief commercial officer, told WWD of the decision to take the viral online brand to physical stores: "We've been a very successful digital-native brand, but we knew that in order to unlock the next phase of growth, it was imperative that we engage, connect and really build a deeper relationship with the consumer and potential consumers on a physical level."
On why they chose the above urban locations, he explained: "We wanted a mix of street locations that were proven street locations with high tourism, great local consumer base, and a very broad demographic of consumers coming in. With that said, Georgetown's Main Street is one of those streets."
Norton added: These markets have really good starter positions for us."
They trialled a store in Austin to see how it would fare.
The businessman said: "We've been operating in the background and piloting and testing for six months."
Kim is "very involved" in the flagship stores.
He said: "Kim is very involved in both iterations of the brand [urban stores and flagships] as we further develop who we are physically, and really drive that brand ID."
And it's in their sights to have 100 stores opened over the coming years.
Norton said: "Definitely over the next few years, we can support over 100 stores, but the customer will tell us a lot."
