As my friend leaves for New York today as part of her job as a regional merchandising manager of Aritzia, I decided to look in to the Vancouver-based women’s fashion boutique expansion in to the US market.
One word in particular screamed at me: location.
Take Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York. It is home to Aritzia’s 13,000-square-foot flagship store. Fifth Avenue is prestigiously known as one of the “most expensive street[s] in the world“, inhabited by countless luxurious boutiques. However, true New Yorkers know that this street is split in to two strip: “Lower Fifth” and “Upper Fifth”. Aritzia on the other hand is strategically located right in the middle, where high fashion meets fast fashion.
Aritzia strive to provide a sophisticated yet welcoming shopping environment
This is a reflection of Aritzia’s target market of aspirational shoppers. That is, stylish women who can’t always afford luxury brands but will not settle for fast fashion brands.Furthermore, while Aritzia doesn’t rely on traditional marketing such as advertisements, the up-scale location speaks for itself. As an avid shopper myself, the location of stores definitely impacts my perception of a brand.
Even Brian Hill, the founder of Aritzia, attributes the company’s success to that one word, location.