Vans to Open European Flagship Store on Carnaby Street in London - Store Grand Opening December 6
Santa Fe Springs, CA (ots)
Vans, Inc. (NASDAQ: VANS) announced today that the company's European flagship store, located at 47 Carnaby Street in London, will open on December 6 in the popular Carnaby Street shopping district. The 3'500 square foot store will feature men's and women's footwear, apparel and accessories and will be the only Vans store to carry the company's new high-end footwear collection, Vault. The Carnaby Street store will open to the public just in time for the holidays on December 6 with a weekend-long opening with athlete appearances and demonstrations, band signings and other special events. Photos of the store and opening will be available.
"Carnaby Street's unique and long-standing position in the world of British street fashion makes it the ideal platform to showcase Vans products and heighten exposure for the VANS brand internationally," said Gary H. Schoenfeld, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vans. "This store will offer shoppers the chance to experience Vans' nearly 40-year Southern California heritage while shopping in one of Europe's premier retail destinations."
"The VANS brand has strong equity in Europe and will benefit from having a premier retail location capable of displaying the full breadth of our product," said Steve Murray, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of International Operations of Vans. "Due to its own unique character and recent rejuvenation, Carnaby Street is the perfect location to connect the lifestyle we represent with London's vibrant fashion scene."
The Carnaby store design evolved from current Vans stores with a refocus on Vans heritage and a utilization of wood, concrete and steel evoking the raw beauty -- both natural and urban -- of Southern California's surf, skate and youth lifestyle. The design cues communicate the key messages of creativity and self-expression through action sports and youth culture that constitute the Vans lifestyle. This will be Vans' first full-priced store in Europe as the company currently operates seven outlet stores in the United Kingdom, Austria, and Spain.
"The Vans Carnaby Street store will intimately detail Vans' heritage and brand story through the look and the feel of the store and the product that we'll offer," said Kevin Bailey, Vice President, Vans' retail division.
The weekend events begin on December 6 and include Vans athlete signings and demonstrations by Geoff Rowley, Jim Greco, Tony Alva and Steve Caballero. Shoppers will also have the chance to bid on exclusive customized Vans Classic Slip-ons by Liam Gallagher and Nicole Appleton, Stella McCartney, Lost prophets, The Bees, Hundred Reasons and others; all proceeds will benefit Surfers Against Sewage and Regain. On Sunday December 7, girls will have a chance to get personal styling tips and makeovers by professional stylists and make-up artists from Teen Vogue and Urban Decay cosmetics.
Vans, Inc. (NASDAQ: VANS) is a leading branded lifestyle company for the youth market. Vans supports and promotes the action sports lifestyle through such events and destinations as the Vans Triple Crown Series, Vans Warped Tour®, the Vans World Amateur Skateboarding Championships and the High Cascade Snowboard Camp. Vans collections, which include active and performance footwear, apparel and accessories, snowboard boots and bindings and the Pro- tec, Inc. line of protective gear, are sold in the United States through 157 company owned stores and factory outlets as well as a network of independent retailers. Vans also distributes to approximately 50 countries internationally through distributors, sales agents and foreign subsidiaries.
For more information on Vans or the Vans Carnaby Street store please visit www.vans.com.
Contact:
For more information or opening photos:
Rose Holden
Vans UK
Phone +44/208-877-4704
E-Mail: rholden@vans.com
Shelley Neumyer
Vans USA
Phone +1 011 (562) 565-8300
E-Mail: sneumyer@vans.com