To the uninitiated, the typical Forever 21 store environment can seem pretty chaotic. But with all the activity comes sales. Recent trips to several Forever 21 locations over the holidays found stores jammed and registers ringing.
For most of its history going back to its first 900 square-foot store, the fast-fashion chain has operated smaller boxes. Until the past couple of years, the typical Forever 21 was likely to be somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet.
All that has changed more recently with the chain opening much bigger boxes, including a new 85,000 square-foot store in Cerritos, a suburb of Los Angeles. The new unit is housed in a former Mervyns department store location.
According to a report on the Women's Wear Daily website, Forever 21 plans to open 30 big box locations, including a a 90,000 square foot flagship in Times Square.
A post on AOL's StyleList included the observation: "More shopping aisles at the Los Cerritos store means that the retailer's full range such as offshoots like Forever 21 Twist and Twelve by Twelve are easily accessible. We're just hoping the extra square footage also means more fitting rooms."
Discussion Questions: Is it possible to maintain the customer experience and other attributes that make Forever 21 unique in a larger store environment? What are the keys for Forever 21 to be successful as it opens bigger box stores?