Australian-born fashion brand Princess Polly is now exploring options to open physical retail locations in Australia this year, according to chief merchandise officer Courtney Dres.
Speaking with Ragtrader, Dres confirmed the opening of new retail locations in the United States is a primary focus in 2025, adding that the brand is also “exploring opportunities in Australia."
“Our broader goal is to bring Princess Polly closer to customers worldwide and make the brand even more accessible,” she said.
The brand made its first retail debut in September 2023 after years in online pureplay, opening a store in Century City in Los Angeles. As of January this year, the brand has six stores across the US.
Dres confirmed that there is a new store opening in Soho, New York, with other locations in the mix for 2025.
According to the CMO, the brand’s target demographic has been keen to see physical stores for quite some time.
“This customer demand for in-person experiences was impossible to ignore and it was important to us to deliver on that,” Dres said. “Plus, our stores are an extension of the brand, offering shoppers a more tactile, personal experience. This has strengthened our connection with customers, and in turn, boosted sales and loyalty, both online and in store.”
Dres said the stores include key features such as selfie mirrors and digital screens.
“Our stores are designed to immerse customers in the essence of Princess Polly,” she said. “We’ve reimagined retail in a way that invites shoppers to fully engage with the in-person experience.
“On top of this, customers are immediately greeted with on-trend styles we know they’ll love, making shopping as easy as ever.”
The retail rollout has been driven by ongoing investment in its online channel, with Dres confirming that several updates were introduced in line with UX trends and customer feedback.
Key changes include increasing style discoverability and launching new tools such as TrueFit for personalised size recommendations.
“We also added estimated delivery dates at checkout for better shipping choices, launched a Shoppable TikTok feed, introduced our US site blog and optimised product upsells in the mini cart.”
Princess Polly is currently owned by A.K.A. Brands, a US group company that also owns Culture Kings and Petal & Pup - two other Australian-born brands - as well as mnml.
According to preliminary results, A.K.A. Brands’ net sales increased by 6.8 per cent to US$159 million (~A$256 million) in the last quarter of 2024, with the US market leading the charge. Net sales in the US market were up 21.6 per cent to around US$96.1 million.