LF Sportswear to Open Retail Chain
Los Angeles manufacturer LF Sportswear confirmed it will jump into the retail game this March by opening the first in a chain of boutiques named LF, which will sell the private label’s casual, contemporary clothes for women.
The company will open its first boutique at 106 S. Robertson Blvd., formerly the home of retail boutique Madison, which moved across the street to 113 S. Robertson Blvd.
LF Sportswear also plans to build stores in La Jolla, Calif., Westport, Conn., and the Soho section of Manhattan. The boutiques will target 25- to 40-year-old women. The clothes will stress a California feel, according to LF Vice President Steve Katz, and will maintain price points from $40 to $300.
The LF stores will also retail some European lines and accessories.
“We don’t want things that [already] have distribution in the U.S.,” Katz said. “We want a uniqueness, which will be the beauty of the boutique.”
LF also hopes to distinguish the stores with a quick turnaround of inventory, said President Laurie Furst. “Fashion is constantly changing, and there’s a huge need for boutiques which sell fashion of the moment, not waiting until the end of the season to change fashions,” she said.
Furst guaranteed the inventory will have a six-week turnaround. The quick pace is part of the company’s strategy to integrate store operations with design, sourcing and manufacturing.
The stores will aim to meet their customers in village-like shopping districts with high pedestrian traffic.
“We’re going to be part of the community we move into,” Katz said. “We want to enhance those communities.”
LF Sportswear has been in business for more than 25 years. One of the lines it manufactures is Clio, a moderate label that will not be sold at the LF stores, according to Katz. —Andrew Asch
