Liz Claiborne Signs Deal With DMC
Liz Claiborne Inc. has signed a longterm agreement with the Dallas Market Center to move all of its brands currently represented in the International Apparel Mart to corporate showrooms in Fashion Center Dallas, DMC’s new apparel market, which will be located in the Dallas World Trade Center.
Liz Claiborne currently sells Liz Claiborne, Ellen Tracy, Laundry by Shelli Segal and Sigrid Olsen at the International Apparel Mart. The company will take about 20,000 square feet of showroom space on the 14th and 15th floors of the World Trade Center. The company reportedly had been considering a move into a rival project that was to take over the Mercantile Bank building in downtown Dallas, but the developers of that project decided to scrap their plans on May 2 after failing to gain enough support.
“Our renewed commitment to Dallas Market Center is based upon long-term needs for a comprehensive facility and a cohesive, single marketplace that provides maximum efficiency for our customers,” said Fritz Winans, group president of Liz Claiborne Brands. “We are pleased to bring our wide range of quality resources under one roof in Fashion Center Dallas.”
“This is an important commitment and an endorsement of Fashion Center Dallas,” said DMC President Bill Winsor in a statement. “Liz Claiborne is a very powerful force in the industry. Their presence establishes an important cornerstone for the Dallas Market Center and a continuation of our 10-year partnership with the important brands Liz Claiborne brings to the marketplace.”
Fashion Center Dallas is set to open in March 2004. About 1 million square feet of the center will be allocated for apparel showrooms. —Robert McAllister
