A Gen-Z favorite retailer, Princess Polly, known for its trendy pieces and affordable prices, is expanding its retail footprint in the U.S. On Friday, it announced the early 2025 opening of a brick-and-mortar location in New York City.
The New York store will be located at 514 Broadway in SoHo, one of the city’s most popular shopping districts. Princess Polly’s SoHo debut follows a long line of buzzy openings in the area this year. Scotch and Soda made its brick-and-mortar return on Broadway in October. The same month, Dior opened its first U.S. fragrance and beauty boutique, on Greene Street; Jacquemus opened its first U.S. store, on Spring Street; and Perfect Moment opened its first-ever retail store, on Crosby Street.
Princess Polly’s NYC store will span approximately 8,000 square feet across two levels and will feature over 5,000 Princess Polly styles. Most items will be priced between $24-$90.
“We’ll host some fun in-store experiences, as well,” said Courtney Dres, Princess Polly’s chief merchandise officer. “There will be digital screens and lots of selfie moments with mirrors and cute decals. We’ll also be bringing in photo booths. … It will feel very New York. We’re leaning into the essence of the city,”
The store is part of the 14-year-old brand’s larger U.S. retail expansion strategy, which kicked off in September 2023 with the launch of its first-ever store, in Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. The brand subsequently opened stores in Scottsdale’s Fashion Square, San Diego’s Fashion Valley, Santa Clara’s Valley Fair and Orange County’s Irvine Spectrum Center. Last week, Princess Polly soft-opened its first East Coast location on Boston’s Newbury Street. Two more locations will launch by the end of the year, ahead of Princess Polly’s NYC opening.
“Being able to support our U.S. customers [when we opened our U.S. distribution center in 2018] was really important, and that has helped support our growth here in the U.S.,” Dres said. Opening a flagship store in Australia, where Princess Polly initially launched, is also top of mind for the brand. “We have to give our very long-term customers in Australia something to look forward to, as well,” she said.
To market the store opening, Princess Polly will leverage its social media channels, using teaser images of the interior of the store as well as a countdown on Instagram. In addition, the team will engage its local consumers via email. The brand also plans to map out a college tour in NYC timed a major cultural event happening at around the same time as the store launch. After the store opens, the brand will also host a media and VIP event and exclusive events for influencers to boost awareness.
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Princess Polly is owned by A.K.A. Brands, an accelerator of direct-to-consumer fashion brands. In its most recent earnings, for the second quarter of 2024, A.K.A. Brands reported a year-over-year net sales increase of 9.5% to $148.9 million. In a statement, Ciaran Long, the company’s interim CEO and CFO, said Princess Polly’s retail expansion contributed to the quarter’s “strong growth in the U.S. region.”
