Duer Forges Ahead Post-Pandemic With New Los Angeles Location

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Like the corporate’s first location in Vancouver, the Duer LA location will embrace a “Efficiency Playground” the place clients can expertise the pure and sustainable clothes model first hand.

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After a 12 months of store closings and declining gross sales you might be depends on stationary retail. The efficiency attire model lately introduced that it could open its latest location in early September. The 1,850 sq. foot retail house shall be positioned at 170 S. La Brea Ave. and be a part of the La Brea District with different well-known retailers together with Fjallraven, American Rag Cie, Carhartt WIP and champion.

“Opening a retailer in LA is one thing I’ve wished to do for years, so it is actually thrilling and never with out a number of complexity,” mentioned Duer co-founder Gary Lenet of the Vancouver, British Columbia model growth in California. “Name it loopy or participating, however I spend extra time on pleasure than fear. Our product is ideal for the seashore tradition synonymous with California for a number of causes. We’ve tracked our gross sales by way of each our e-commerce and wholesale divisions of the corporate and have a loyal fan base within the LA space, which is trigger for optimism. “

Duer is thought for what Lenett calls “the world’s most comfy pants,” which mixes pure and sustainable supplies from assets like eucalyptus bushes, wooden chips and recycled plastic bottles with efficiency traits and fibers. The result’s consolation, fashion, and efficiency in all kinds of clothes together with denims, sweatpants, shorts, tops, and overalls.

“We need to be the subsequent huge factor from Vancouver and observe the trail of manufacturers like Arc’teryx and Lululemon“Stated Lenett. “Earlier than the pandemic, we doubled yearly. Our progress is now accelerating as a result of we’re out of the pandemic and tapping into elevated demand for useful clothes that’s each comfy and classy. The place different jeanswear and way of life manufacturers discover some points of their choices to do justice to this class, the mix of efficiency and elegance for Duer is built-in into our DNA as our central model promise. “

In accordance with a number of analysts, together with “Retail Dive,” e-commerce rose greater than 32 p.c in 2020, pedestrian visitors fell by virtually 50 p.c, internet revenue from retailer openings versus closings was unfavorable for the fourth 12 months in a row, and bankruptcies elevated .

Regardless of the daunting numbers and rising fatigue of native retailers, Duer’s omni-channel strategy permits the corporate to search out its personal approach and transfer ahead with out fear. As a way to decrease this danger, Dürer has switched to a brand new kind of enterprise, amongst different issues, because it too was hit laborious by the pandemic.

“After dropping 70 p.c of our gross sales in a single day when the pandemic first broke out, we had been compelled to show round – and the consequence was a brand new order-driven enterprise channel, Subsequent,” Lenett mentioned. “The mannequin balances demand and provide so we do not have extra stock, and the result’s a brand new low-waste resolution for attire manufacturing.”

Pre-ordering has labored for Duer and different retail manufacturers in an up-to-date ambiance the place each penny counts. Switching to the manufacturing of ordered materials additionally has a optimistic impact on the surroundings.

As an omni-channel firm, retail will proceed to play a essential function in Duer’s enterprise mannequin, Lenett mentioned. Storefronts do not match the normal function of retail in terms of an omni-channel enterprise, as an alternative the brand new bodily location in Los Angeles will act as a model hub somewhat than only a gross sales driver. This additionally signifies that chart success relies on the mixed efficiency of the varied channels inside a area and never simply on the revenue of a enterprise.

“A efficiency model like ours has an inherent benefit that depends on the communication of pure, wealthy stretch materials to have a bodily retail house the place clients can expertise the product firsthand,” mentioned Lenett. “In truth, we’re not simply encouraging folks to the touch the materials, we’re equipping our shops with efficiency playgrounds and bicycles so you possibly can take the product with you for an actual take a look at experience.”

The retail retailer may even mix experiential and sensory components to inform the pure and sustainable supplies Duer makes use of. The interactive and experiential design is nothing new as Duer’s first retailer in Vancouver makes use of a product testing floor.

The hometown of Vancouver is bound to play a big function within the LA location as the 2 cities share a lot of the California way of life, in accordance with Lenett. Duer is impressed by the West Coast ambiance and way of life, whereas its design is impressed by what folks do and has energy to sort out any exercise.

The LA location is just step one in Duer’s growth plans. Lenett mentioned the corporate hopes to open “at the least a couple of extra American shops” within the subsequent six months. Moreover, Duer additionally focuses on the ladies’s retailer, which is rooted in bottoms and displays the identical growth in tops and equipment as the boys’s retailer.

“Enlargement is certainly the theme for the subsequent few years,” mentioned Lenett. “From storefronts to new classes to our international presence by way of our community of wholesale companions, we have made nice strides, however we nonetheless suppose we’re opening our best progress alternative. We’re greater in Canada and elements of Northern Europe than we’re within the US. We cannot be a secret within the US for lengthy. “

Pictures courtesy of Dürer.