OFF-PRICE LUXURY RETAILER MADALUXE OPENS FIRST STORE

The MadaLuxe Group, the California-based distributor of off-price luxury European fashion, has opened the MadaLuxe Vault, its first brick-and-mortar store, at the Citadel Outlet Mall in Commerce, California.

The 3,000 square-foot store features a broad assortment of categories, ranging from clothing to accessories. According to the company’s president and co-founder Adam Freede, the store’s assortment is approximately 20 percent men’s, with an emphasis on basics including T-shirts and jeans.  Freede did not disclose the specific brands the store carries.

Freede added that the company, which has focused on e-commerce, put together this store in about three months, once the property became available, re-doing the existing space to give the store a more boutique-like feel. “One of the great things about the Citadel is that the mall is not home to any of our brand or retail partners,” he noted. “It’s also one of the busiest outlet malls in the whole country, and MadaLuxe will be a great addition to it.”

Adds Steven Craig, founder and CEO of Craig Retail Group: “Madaluxe Vault is one of the most interesting concepts in retail and we’re thrilled they’ve chosen Citadel as their first retail location. Our consumer is always looking for new and exciting shopping experiences, particularly in luxury.”

The company is considering adding as many as five additional locations in 2018, said Freede, mostly on the West Coast. The company recently hired Darin Skinner, a longtime veteran of Guess Inc, to be its senior vice president of stores to oversee the expansion of the MadaLuxe Vault.

In addition, the MadaLuxe Vault will donate a portion of its retail and e-commerce sales to the World of Children to fund high-impact programs dedicated to changing the lives of vulnerable children around the world.