After announcing in September that it had expanded its partnership with Walmart by nearly doubling the number of stores in which its jewelry and accessories are available nationwide, Claire’s has now added a partnership with Macy’s, including the department store’s Oakbrook Center location.
Claire’s is well known, especially among tweens and teens. And shoppers at the new Oak Brook store, one of more than 20 nationwide that opened in mid-November inside of Macy’s locations, will have access to the brand’s hair accessories, jewelry and cosmetics.
The move into Macy’s is a way that Claire’s continues to grow its consumer products partnerships business, diversifying its retail footprint, reaching consumers where they live and shop, and driving brand awareness, according to information from Claire’s.
“Macy’s and Claire’s are two iconic brands in fashion with a long-standing commitment to being destinations for inspirational and accessible style for generations of consumers,” Ryan Vero, chief executive officer of Claire’s, said in a statement. “We help celebrate special moments, and with this partnership, we are combining our brand power to reach new customers and serve them with the latest on-trend accessories in time for the holiday shopping season and beyond.”
For Macy’s, bringing Claire’s into some of its stores is a good fit.
“Macy’s is the ultimate destination for trends and fashion,” Stephen Moore, Macy’s senior vice president of merchandising, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with Claire’s to expand our jewelry and accessories assortment and give our customers even more ways to own their style.”
Claire’s struggled in the mid-2010s, closing stores in malls and eventually filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018. Since then, the company has turned its finances around, filing for an initial public offering of $100 million in September 2021. The company was publicly held before its private equity backer at the time, Apollo Global Management, took it private in 2007. As of April 2022, the company operated more than 1,500 stand-alone stores in North America.
In February, the company reported net sales of nearly $1.4 billion in 2021, a growth of 53% over 2020 and a growth of 9% over 2019. Sales at its retail partners were 70% higher than in 2020.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
