Stance to open first store outside US in Covent Garden
Apparel brand Stance will be opening its first physical store outside of the US in London’s Covent Garden shopping district next month.
Situated at 3 Neal Street, the 2,004 square foot unit will be home to retail space on the ground floor and a gallery and event space in the basement. The interior will be designed by an in-house team with artwork created by global athletes.
The store will stock Stance’s socks, underwear and its new dual-gender t-shirt range.
Founded in California, Stance has ten stores in the US and a brand presence in over 60 countries. It has also amassed over 1.5 million followers on Instagram and is the official sock brand of the NBA. In addition, it counts Rihanna as one of its contributing creative directors.
Paul Zaengle, Stance’s executive vice president of retail, said: “The UK is the obvious next step for us and we can’t wait to bring our retail experience to loyal customers there and introduce the brand to new ones.
“With 44 million visitors to Covent Garden each year, Neal Street is the ideal location for Stance’s debut international location and we can’t wait to plant deeper roots on English soil.”
Stance’s UK debut follows a string of recent leasing activity for The Mercers’ Company including map retailer Stanfords, which will be relocating for the first time since 1901 to 7 Mercer Walk. In addition, footwear brand Allbirds opened its first European store at 121-123 Long Acre earlier this month.
Shadé Fadiora, The Mercers’ Company asset manager, said: “Stance is a remarkable brand with an impressive success story and they will be a great addition to the Mercers’ retail estate. Their decision to launch their UK debut out of the US at this location confirms that Neal Street and the surrounding area of Covent Garden is one of the top retail destinations in the capital, and indeed the UK.”
