LOS ANGELES — Men’s Wearhouse, buoyed by its success in the tuxedo business, plans to walk down the aisle with two women’s bridalwear test stores before the end of the year.
George Zimmer, founder and chief executive officer, said during the company’s third-quarter conference call that shops under the Bride & Joy nameplate would open next to existing Men’s Warehouse locations in the San Francisco market, with the first to debut this week.
Zimmer said if the concept succeeds, it “could roll out on a 1-to-5 ratio with Men’s Wearhouse stores, or approximately 100 of these stores across the country.”
The vitality of the tuxedo business has been a factor in several recent decisions by the firm, including expansion of existing stores, the move into the dry-cleaning business and a glance across the aisle — to women’s wear — concerning men and women who “walk down the aisle,” Zimmer said.
“We continue to selectively expand certain stores based on overall volume and tuxedo rental volume, reconfiguring them to add 1,000 to 2,000 square feet,” he said. “This business has been so strong that we are compelled to look at additional opportunities in the wedding industry.”
— Adam Tschorn