Opening Doors Away From Current Ann Taylor
Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead has been selected as the primary market for the unveiling of a new prototype for the Ann Taylor Store.
Kay Krill, President and CEO at Ann Taylor announced on May 21 plans to introduce their new Ann Taylor store prototype in three markets during the third quarter.
“The prototype calls for space that is roughly 40% smaller than our current average store,” Krill says. “The new environment better reflects our updated brand aesthetic.”
Opening closer to LOFT (Ann Taylor LOFT) in the main corridor of Lenox, the shuttered Bailey Banks and Biddle space will operate as the new location for Ann Taylor.
Currently located near Mimi Maternity and Steve Madden, Ann Taylor will remain operative until late August, early September, when they will then relocate merchandise overnight once construction at the new space is complete.
Insiders at Ann Taylor, having just learned about the move less than three weeks ago, suggest the new location reflects a higher area of traffic. Construction is already well underway.
As for the current Ann Taylor space, an insider with Forever 21 confirmed they were scouting out space at Lenox Square for their third XXI Forever location in the Atlanta area. Both the old Mark Shale and Ann Taylor spaces are a bit small for the “flagship location” they are looking for, though the Ann Taylor space is a prime option.
Special thanks to our Key Retail Insider for the lead on this story– quotes used with approval.
3 Responses
YAY! Forever 21 Inside the Perimeter…FINALLY.
I can’t excited about a XXI Forever – especially if they were to take a main corridor prime space. Lenox needs to sign stores that we do not already have in the Atlanta market (preferably higher end retailers), not waste space on a cheaper version of H&M.
I could, however, see a dual-level XXI Forever complementing the Midtown Mile concept nicely.
Although I’m not excited about XXI Forever either, I doubt anyone else would take the dead space by Mimi Maternity. Obviously I’d love Mango or TopShop to come to Lenox, or even a PF Changs! But they need to fix their foodcourt first. If they moved the food court further out and turned the current one into retail space (And do something with that empty movie theater!), then the mall could evolve into the true super-regional mall that Atlanta needs/deserves.. but all of this is way out of their budget in this economy.