William Rast launches retail expansion with first three stores

03 Nov '09

3 min read

William Rast, the “New America” denim lifestyle brand founded by Trace Ayala and Justin Timberlake, and operated through subsidiaries of People's Liberation, Inc., launched its retail expansion plan for the brand with the opening of two new full-price retail stores at the Westfield Century City Shopping Mall in Los Angeles, California, and the Westfield Valley Fair Shopping Mall in San Jose, California, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Additionally, the Company opened its first outlet store at the Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon, California. The retail expansion is part of the Company's plan to roll-out approximately forty retail stores in major metropolitan locations over the next several years.

Century City Shopping Center, located in the heart of Los Angeles' West Side, recently completed a $170 million revitalization introducing new luxury boutiques. The center is home to over 100 specialty retailers including Apple, Bloomingdales, Theory, Louis Vuitton, Juicy Couture, Tiffany & Co., Tourneau and Zara.

Westfield Valley Fair Mall, located in the Silicon Valley area of Northern California, has long been the area's leading shopping destination. The center's current mix of innovative retailers includes Nordstroms, Apple, Armani Exchange, Coach, Louis Vuitton, M•A•C Cosmetics, Swarovski, Talbots and Tiffany and Co.

The William Rast branded retail stores, each approximately 2,000 square feet, will offer shoppers the entire William Rast contemporary apparel collection for men and women, including signature denim, silk tops, leather jackets and accessories. In the future, the Company also plans to offer a full range of licensed William Rast products in each store.

“We are extremely pleased to announce the initial rollout of our planned retail expansion with these three new store openings,” said Chief Executive Officer, Colin Dyne. “These new retail locations underscore our commitment to showcasing and enhancing our brand. With a dynamic population that is connected with the William Rast brand, we see tremendous opportunities and a good strategic fit to further expand awareness of the brand.”

The Desert Hills Premium Outlet store will be William Rast's first outlet store, and will be in the company of brands such as Burberry, Coach, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Prada, True Religion, 7 For All Mankind, Yves Saint Laurent, Zegna, Lucky Brand and many more.

Mr. Dyne commented, “The Desert Hills Premium Outlets is one of the most popular and trafficked outlet malls on the West Coast and gives us a focused off-price channel for our prior season merchandise. With our own outlet store, we can better manage and control the distribution of inventory, yet do so at attractive margins.”

The Los Angeles-based William Rast designs, markets and sells men's and women's premium contemporary apparel. The clothing consists of premium denim, knits, wovens and outerwear. In the United States, the Company distributes its merchandise to better department stores and boutiques, including Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdales. Outside the U.S., its products are sold to better department stores and boutiques throughout the world.

People's Liberation, Inc

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