Fred Segal and Kitson Adding Stores to LAX
Fred Segal and Kitson, both prominent Los Angeles boutique concepts, are set to take off at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport next spring.
The two retailers will be opening their concept stores across the hall from each other at the busy international terminal, which is undergoing a multi-year, $4 billion renovation and expansion project.
The Kitson at Tom Bradley will be the second LAX store for the boutique chain. Fraser Ross, Kitson’s founder, forecast the Tom Bradley store will earn $6 million a year. Kitson’s first LAX store opened in April at Terminal 7 and is forecast to make more than $2.5 million this year. The two retailers were attracted by the fact that a wealthier customer is expected to pass through the Tom Bradley terminal because it is an international hub and is undergoing a more modern look.
Ross expects many passengers will want to buy expensive American fashions.“They are cash rich and time poor,” he said of the international customer. “[Tom Bradley] could be the last hurrah for shopping in America,” he said.
The Fred Segal airport store was announced Dec. 5. The 2,200-square-foot luxury store is a project of Hudson Group, a prominent airport retail company, and Sandow, the New York–based company that in January acquired the worldwide rights to the Fred Segal brand. The new Fred Segal store will offer men’s and women’s fashions, a denim bar, swimwear, accessories, and Fred Segal–branded items, as well as beauty and gifts, said Adam I. Sandow, the company’s chairman and chief executive.—A.A.
