Converse wants to be a team player in the vertical retail game.
The Nike Inc. subsidiary on Nov. 15 opened its first unit on Newbury Street in Boston. A 7,000-square-foot flagship was unveiled in SoHo on Black Friday, featuring its widest selection of merchandise in the world, including artist collaborations, a customization bar with five iPads holding over 250 designs and new apparel collections for men and women.
Converse, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2008, has been honing its store concept for the last five years. “We could have opened stores a lot sooner,” said Dave Powers, vice president of global retail. “The goal was to make the stores a [great] brand experience and a positive financial experience. We’re building a model that will allow us to do that from a merchandising perspective.”
Related Articles
Powers said Converse will open five or six stores in 2011 in downtown street locations and malls. “We’re in the process of mapping out our U.S. rollout plan,” he said. “We could have a pretty sizable number of stores. We plan to invest in retail and go forward with it. ”
You May Also Like
Powers declined to give specific sales projections, but said the store will be on par with other SoHo retailers that do more than $1,000 a square foot.
The design of the SoHo flagship at 560 Broadway at Prince Street is a mash up of Converse’s preppy sports heritage and the edgy sensibility of rock ’n’ roll bands such as the Ramones that adopted the brand. Chuck Taylor All Star footwear occupies one 40-foot wall. A 13-by-35-foot American flag display made from 648 pairs of red, white and blue Chuck Taylor All Star shoes can be seen through the store window.
In a nod to New York, white subway tiles line the walls of the denim collection, leather chairs in one of the shoe areas can be “tagged” by shoppers with markers that are provided. There are about 200 to 250 different footwear stockkeeping units, including leather All Stars for $150, black All Stars designed by artist Gio Estevez, $80, and plaid Woolrich boots, $125. Some of the exclusive products include shoes with a butterfly print by artist Damien Hirst, Converse by John Varvatos shearling jackets, $1,195, and Schott leather jackets with epaulets and silver details, $500.
The new apparel collection was designed for the Boston and SoHo stores, but Powers said the lines will eventually be sold at wholesale. In addition to the 24-style denim line, there’s puffer jackets and vests, woven shirts and plaid waffle knit Henleys.
The customization bar at the back of the store encourages consumers to browse, choose and tweak existing designs, down to the laces. A pattern on one side of a shoe is $10, both sides, $15, and an all-over design, $25. In addition, T-shirts and handbags can be customized. “The influence of customization,” Powers said, “means that we can always have fresh merchandise in the store.”