Fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 is set to open its offshoot F21 Red at Devonshire Mall this autumn.
“It’s been our most-requested store,” Devonshire Mall general manager Chris Savard said.
Mall management approached Forever 21, Savard said. Together they worked on the deal for “several months” on what will be a 17,800-square-foot store in three former storefronts close to The Bay, Sportchek and H&M.
There’s still a lot of construction to do, he said, so there’s no target date for opening aside from a rough target of fall 2015.
Along with its staple line, aimed at young women between 18 and 24, the store will also carry items from Forever 21’s men’s line, girls’ line and plus-sized line.
The F21 Red store concept was first launched in 2014 in California selling clothing at bargain-basement price points — think US$1.80 for a camisole and less than US$8 for a pair of jeans, according to media reports at the time.
Although Target is set to shut its doors, Savard said sales growth at the mall has been positive in 35 of the past 36 months. Those numbers have helped prospective retailers see there’s demand for their products in Windsor, Savard said. Among the other “first to market” retailers to open in Devonshire Mall are makeup store Sephora and jewelry store Michael Hill.
Considered one of the fashion industry’s fastest-growing retailers, Forever 21 has more than 680 stores in 45 countries.
Business reports suggest the L.A.-based retailer is giving other stores like American Eagle Outfitters and Aeropostale (both of which have stores in Devonshire Mall) and Abercrombie & Fitch a run for their money by offering clothes at cheaper prices and getting trendy styles on the racks faster.
Office-casual clothing retailer Mexx closed its store in Devonshire Mall earlier this year, and Canadian fashion retailer Jacob closed its mall storefront recently as well. Jacob filed for bankruptcy protection last year citing, among other reasons, competition from retailers like Target and Forever 21.
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