Forever 21 to Open Large Prototype Store in California
WWDsays Forever 21 plans to open an extra-large prototype store in California this year. The 80,000-square-foot store is a space Forever 21 acquired from Mervyns and will be double its average store size.
The privately held retailer aims to open an estimated 80,000-square-foot store at Los Cerritos Center, a Macerich-owned mall near Los Angeles, in late 2009. The space was acquired as a result of the liquidation of Hayward, Calif.-based retailer Mervyns.
The concept will feature a brightly lit floor space with women’s and men’s apparel divided by look — vintage, casual or avant-garde, for example — surrounded by accessory walls along the indoor perimeter.
"It's a way to use our fast-fashion heritage to offer more categories for more customers," said senior vice president Larry Meyer. "We're bringing in larger sizes, a more enhanced shoe collection, lingerie and more categories."
Fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 carries a large volume of merchandise in its stores so filling a store twice a big will be quite a challenge. L.A. architect Jas Nakaoka told WWD, "We have to make it a new store, a non-department style store in a department store-sized space. We fight about it; it hasn't been easy. But it will be just right. Nobody has ever done this before."
Forever 21 grabbed 15 of Mervyn's locations following the company's bankruptcy filing and liquidation so if the prototype store works they could repeat it at other locations.
WWD 
