Luxury retailer The Webster will be opening three new stores at Simon Property Group malls, expanding as affluent shoppers unbowed by high inflation continue to snap up luxury goods.
The Webster, based in Miami, is slated to debut its first new location at the The Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, New Jersey, in early October this year, Indianapolis-based Simon said this week. The retailer then plans to open new boutiques at Lenox Square in Atlanta in late summer next year and at The Domain in Austin, Texas, in early fall next year. The Webster already has a store at The Galleria in Houston, which is owned by Simon, the largest mall landlord in the nation
Upscale retailers are thriving and expanding as their customer base, affluent shoppers, are undeterred by high inflation and keep spending. And some of those luxury brands are moving beyond major cities to secondary markets, such as Austin, that have seen population booms during the pandemic and have attracted tech companies.
"The Webster is a natural complement to the extensive roster of luxury offerings at The Domain, Lenox Square, and The Shops at Riverside," Velda Turan, senior vice president of leasing at Simon, said in a statement. "The vibrant intimacy of their store design is an exceptional addition to our curated mix of market-exclusive brands, further establishing these properties as top fashion and lifestyle shopping destinations."
Laure Hériard Dubreuil, who grew up in Paris and worked as a merchandiser for Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, opened The Webster's flagship location at the former 20,000-square-foot Webster Hotel in 2009 at 1220 Collins Ave. in South Beach in Miami. Now The Webster's CEO, Hériard Dubreuil kept the name of the art deco building but reimagined its three-story interior as a women's and men's multibrand luxury retailer.
After more than a decade after the South Beach flagship opened, The Webster has expanded to eight additional locations in Miami’s Bal Harbour neighborhood; Houston; Costa Mesa, California; New York City; Los Angeles; Montecito, California; Toronto; and, most recently, Palm Springs, California. The retailer has done exclusive collaborations with Pucci, Bottega Veneta, Amiri, and has permanent partnerships with David Mallett and Augustinus Bader, who operates a studio out of The Webster’s SoHo location in Manhattan.
The Webster at The Shops at Riverside, the first to open in the Simon expansion, is being designed by French interior designer Stéphane Parmentier, according to Simon. It will be the fourth location in the retailer’s portfolio designed by Parmentier, which includes the Montecito boutique at the Rosewood Miramar Beach resort; Toronto, the first international boutique; and the most recent opening in Palm Springs.
The Webster’s interior design provides "luxury retail in a residential setting to the next level," according to Simon, which is a real estate investment trust.
"While this distinct aesthetic connects these four properties, there are still key design elements that have carried over from The Webster's inception that created the South Beach flagship," Simon said in its statement, including "hints of art deco, vintage wallpapers" and art.
"When I opened The Webster 15 years ago, I never imagined a day where I would be saying we have 12 stores," Hériard Dubreuil said in a statement. "What started as a vision to bring a highly curated luxury retail experience to Miami to expanding rapidly on both coasts and even internationally is beyond my wildest dreams."