Fabletics Plans Expansion With 75 New Stores

With its five years as a fashion brand, Fabletics is seeking to grow and expand its brick-and-mortar footprint. The retailer intends to open 75 stores in the U.S. and other countries, which would increase its store count to 100 locations, CNBC reported.

One store in particular is in the works in Bellevue, Washington, and is scheduled to open later in 2018. That location will focus on a new design along with an advanced payments system – and even a selfie wall for photos. But a company spokesperson did not give CNBC a timeline on when the other stores would open. However, a spokesperson said that the company has “rapidly surpassed $300 million in annual revenue” after only five years in operation. In addition, the company has reduced the time to create and deliver clothing: While that process used to take eight weeks, it now only takes six.

Fabletics is a brand often associated with fitness (and fitness lovers), which is why it might be surprising to note that, in founding the firm, celebrity Kate Hudson was thinking far more about lifestyle than fitness itself. Women’s activewear brands have been a rapidly growing market segment for the last several years. The fitness wellness focus is great, according to Hudson, but perhaps a little intimidating for the moms in their 30s and 40s, who have become the brand’s core customers. Professional athletes are very inspiring, but most average people aren’t quite ready to go from zero to 60 in a workout routine. People want to be fit, but not necessarily cross-train fit, Hudson notes told CNBC.

“Sometimes, for an average woman or an everyday woman, or a soccer mom, or someone who doesn’t necessarily know how to get into the healthy lifestyle, it can be a little bit intimidating,” Hudson said. “So, I kind of wanted to create something that was more about a lifestyle than an actual fitness brand. And it seemed to really resonate.”