Stance chooses London for first international store

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Oct 23, 2018

Stance, the American socks and underwear brand, is stepping into new territory with plans to open its first ever store outside the US in London in early November.

The fast-growing brand, whose products have been worn by Rihanna and NBA star James Harden, has taken a 2,004-sqaure-foot unit spanning two floors on Neal Street in Covent Garden, one of London’s leading shopping and entertainment areas.

The ground floor will be used for retail purposes, showcasing the brand’s popular range of products including socks, underwear and the new unisex t-shirt range. But the basement level is to be transformed into a gallery and event space, although shoppers won’t be able to enjoy this area until early 2019.

“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,” said Paul Zaengle, executive vice president of retail at Stance.

“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.”

The London opening will kick off plans for a global bricks-and-mortar expansion, the company said. It has currently 10 stores in America and stockists in over 60 countries.

“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,” commented Shadé Fadiora, asset manager at The Mercers’ Company.

The area has also recently welcomed luxury and sustainable footwear brand Allbirds earlier this month.