Aritzia Sets SoHo Flagship Opening

Aritzia, the Vancouver, Canada-based fashion retailer steadily expanding its footprint in New York City and elsewhere in North America, is set to open its new SoHo flagship on the corner of Broadway and Prince Street on Tuesday.

For the new flagship, Aritzia has a premium, high-trafficked location in what was previously occupied by Dean & DeLuca. Spanning three floors, the repositioned flagship is larger than the existing, 13-year-old, two-level SoHo store at 524 Broadway, though Aritzia declined to specify the square footage of the sites.

“Opening our first Aritzia SoHo flagship boutique over a decade ago marked a defining moment in our brand journey, establishing Aritzia’s presence in the U.S. market,” Jennifer Wong, Aritzia’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Today, with our repositioned and expanded SoHo flagship boutique, this moment comes full circle — celebrating our heritage in retail and setting new standards for retail excellence. We are thrilled to reach this milestone as we continue our growth across North America and beyond.”

Wong spearheaded the U.S. expansion that began in 2007, the launch of e-commerce in 2012, the initial public offering for Aritzia in 2016, and the relocation of a distribution center for handling greater capacity. She has been behind efforts to “reimagine,” as she has said, the shopping experience.

Aritzia is growing its U.S. footprint in a disciplined manner, selecting prime spots. Aritzia’s plan has been to open eight to 10 boutiques each year from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2027 and more specifically, 12 to 13 this year. Aritzia also aims to complete three to five store expansions from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2027, including three to four this year (fiscal 2025). The vast majority of these are in the U.S.

Aritzia projects 2024 net revenue in the range of 2.52 billion Canadian dollars to 2.62 billion Canadian dollars, representing growth of 8 to 12 percent.

“Retail has changed and evolved quite a bit since 1984 when we were founded,” Wong said earlier this year at the Fairchild Media Group’s Women in Power summit. “Back then, our stores were 1,500 square feet and very traditional. Aritzia needed evolution, obviously, but we’re always having to reimagine the retail experience, and one of the things we’re very proud of is our retail experience when you walk into our stores. Fast-forward to today, we’re building stores to include 30,000 to 40,000 square feet. They’re multilevel flagships and very experiential. We have multiple media screens. Many have cafés and eating areas and there’s great music playing.”

Aritzia has four boutiques in New York City. The retailer is slated to reposition its Fifth Avenue flagship later this year and its Flatiron boutique in 2025. The existing SoHo flagship will remain open through Monday.

Each boutique is conceptualized and designed by the brand’s in-house team. Unique to the SoHo location are bespoke details that draw upon the neighborhood’s heritage, such as its distinctive cast iron architecture, expansive marble surfaces, large archways and sleek steel and glass partitions. The space is enriched by the texture of wire-wheeled oak, tin-coffered ceilings, and a palette of neutral grays, whites and industrial blacks — softened by bronze glass accents.

The boutique also offers Aritzia’s signature amenities like house-created playlists, curated artwork and Aritzia’s own A-OK Cafe, which offers food and beverages.

There store also has a “cozy, elevated” lounge area for anyone who wants to take a break from shopping while Aritzia’s style advisers give personalized styling and tailored advice to clients. Aritzia designs several in-house fashion labels including Wilfred, Babaton, Golden, Tna, The Super Puff and Sunday Best, and touts its offering of “everyday luxury and essential, timeless wardrobe” pieces. In a statement, the company indicated, “We treat each in-house label as its own atelier, united by premium fabrics, meticulous construction and an of-the-moment point of view. We handpick fabrics from the world’s best mills for their feel, function and ability to last. We obsess over proportion, fit and that just-right silhouette.”

To celebrate the SoHo flagship opening, Aritzia will be offering a gift with qualifying purchases, while supplies last. The retailer will also be hosting a scavenger hunt over the weekend for mini Aritzia shopping bags scattered across SoHo, where clients will have the chance to win Aritzia gift cards. Details are on @aritzia on Instagram.

Founded in 1984, Aritzia operates more than 125 shops in North America and aritzia.com.