Planet Blue to expand beyond L.A.

Planet Blue, SoCal retailer, has set to plan expansion beyond the Los Angeles area.

The L.A. based apparel label has been established since 1995. Planet Blue launched its first local boutique in Malibu, encompassing bohemian chic beach fashion with its clothing. Since then, the label has opened stores in Venice, Beverly Hills, and an online e-commerce site. The brand is known for its unique twist on SoCal beach fashion, and is widely popular in the L.A. community.

This year, according to WWD, six units are set to open in cities the company has since not ventured towards yet. Those cities include Houston, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta and Hawaii. The expansion is planned for this year later in the summer or early in the fall. Currently, the chain has six operating stores in total.

Planet Blue sets to expand beyond L.A. with help from Breakwater Investment Management

Breakwater Investment Management, a minority owner of the brand, is funding the forthcoming expansion. Breakwater Invest Management provides capital investments in promising market businesses to help promote them into market leaders. Other brands that the company has worked with in the past are Veggie Grill and Consensus Orthopedics.

Brands that Planet Blue sells include its in-house line Blue Life, Free People, For Love and Lemons, Wildfox, Mara Hoffman, BB Dakota, and more. Each store is set to carry styles and brands that will cater to locals’ needs.

The locations chosen by the company include more residential, neighborhood locations as opposed to its previous more shopping traffic-heavy areas. Within the next five years, the company hopes to expand to 40 stores, including areas outside of the U.S. such as Tokyo.