Australian Retail Giant Cotton On Gears Up For Big California Expansion

It doesn’t advertise, has no celebrity spokespeople and hasn’t achieved the brand recognition of competitors Forever 21 and H&M. In fact, most shoppers probably don’t even know that Cotton On already has a few dozen stores in Southern California. The Australian fast-fashion behemoth has been quietly building a presence here — including stores at the Westside Pavilion, Glendale Galleria and Third Street Promenade — selling apparel basics like jeans, sweaters and T-shirts for the whole family. Cotton On has a hefty global presence, with more than 1,400 stores in 18 countries and 22,000 employees. But it only has 121 stores in the U.S., about 40 of them in Southern California. That will soon change as the company gears up for an expansion that will increase the number of stores in California more than 50% in the next three years. Read more at The Los Angeles Times.