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Love Culture, a new concept aimed squarely at the fickle teen demographic, has embarked on an ambitious retail plan, including opening 200 to 300 U.S. stores in less than a decade.
Love Culture expects to open 10 stores - each 7,000 square feet - in its first year, starting in September with a unit at Plaza Bonita in National City, Calif., south of San Diego. A store at the Willowbrook Mall in Houston will be unveiled in October, followed by a unit at Pembroke Gardens in Pembroke Pines, Fla., in November.
It's no coincidence that the launch strategy will be similar to that of Forever 21. Jai Rhee, Love Culture's founder, was an executive at Forever 21 and orchestrated the rollout of the brand in the U.S.
"The management of Love Culture is very well equipped to create something that's different, that's special and that isn't the same as everything else we've seen," said Robert Michaels, president and chief operating officer of General Growth Properties, the shopping center owner and operator that signed several leases with Love Culture. "Jai is a very creative guy. We think [Love Culture] is a little edgier than some of its competitors. What we've seen in the renderings, the products and Jai's vision leads us to believe...