John Hardy is forging ahead with its expansion plan under relatively new owner L Catterton. The brand will make its foray into privately operated U.S. retail this fall by opening stores in Houston and New York. A third U.S. store, in a yet-to-be-determined location, will open in early 2017.
The Houston location, opening in September, will be located in the River Oaks District. The brand will occupy a 1,000 square-foot space.
In New York, John Hardy will open in SoHo at 118 Prince Street. The 1,200 square-foot space will open in November.
These openings are coupled with the Bali-based label’s e-commerce expansion.
“We are looking to become a true multichannel brand,” chief executive officer Robert Hanson told WWD.
“The U.S. and North America are our largest commercial market — 80 percent of our revenue is in U.S. but is almost entirely done through wholesale. We haven’t had boutiques in U.S. before; this will mark the brand’s first foray into U.S. retail. We have boutiques in Bali, Jakarta and Hong Kong,” he added.
The label will also elevate the scope of its product offering under the watch of newly instated creative director Hollie Bonneville Barden — whose appointment was first announced by WWD last month.
“We are really focused on becoming a jeweler — moving beyond a silversmith to a goldsmith and stone setter,” said Hanson. As such, the label plans to move its average price point from $750 to just over $1,000,“to keep our core customer with us but bring new customers to the brand.”