The reality TV star is moving her latest online venture into the brick-and-mortar spaces. The first Skims store, opening on June 13, is in Georgetown, a neighborhood in Washington. The other locations will be in Aventura, Florida; Austin and Houston, Texas; and Atlanta.
“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,” Robert Norton, Skims’ chief commercial officer, told WWD regarding the decision to take the viral online brand to physical stores.
“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,” Norton explained when asked why they chose those particular locations. “With that said, Georgetown’s Main Street is one of those streets.”
“These markets have really good starter positions for us,” he added.
The Skims team did a test trial of a store in Austin, Texas to see how it would fare.
“We’ve been operating in the background and piloting and testing for six months,” the businessman said.
Kardashian is “very involved” in the flagship stores.
“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,” Norton said.
And it’s in their sights to have 100 stores opened over the coming years.
“Definitely over the next few years, we can support over 100 stores,” Norton said, “but the customer will tell us a lot.”
