New Balance Store Opens in Torrance, More Planned
Paul Tordella has been outfitting marathoners and joggers with sneakers and high-performance clothes at his FrontRunners store in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood since 1977. He opened another store catering to runners, New Balance, in Torrance, Calif., on Nov. 4. He also announced plans to open several more New Balance stores in Los Angeles County over the next five years. Tordella holds the license to open New Balance stores in L.A. County.
Apparel will play an increasingly important role in the 7,500- square-foot New Balance store at 20611 Hawthorne Blvd. Tordella said apparel made up 9 percent of sales at the New Balance store he opened in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2000. He wants his apparel section to account for 25 to 35 percent of sales in the future. He forecast that sales per square foot at the Torrance store would be more than $400.
The apparel sold at the Torrance New Balance store is manufactured by Boston–based New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc., which earned $1.08 billion in U.S. sales in 2004. Ninety percent of the apparel is constructed out of synthetic materials. For example, the top-selling “Tilt” running short, $40, is made of a lightweight, Teflon-coated manmade material and was created to help keep runners dry.
Tordella co-designed the Torrance store with New Balance and Santa Monica, Calif.–based architects Akar Studios. Tordella said other California locations where he may eventually open stores include Los Angeles, Pasadena, the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley and Whittier. —Andrew Asch
