Claire’s partners to expand its brand to 7,000 stores across North America
Claire’s is expanding its brand reach and also entering new categories less than a year after it was acquired out of bankruptcy by Ames Watson.
The tween- and teen-focused accessories retailer has entered into a multi-licensing agreement with Centric Brands to expand the Claire’s brand into new categories and more than 7,000 additional retail touch points across North America. The partnership represents a key milestone in owner Ames Watson’s strategy to scale Claire’s distribution beyond its core retail footprint of 900-plus stores and build a more diversified, multi-channel growth platform. (Ames Watson acquired Claire’s in September.)
Centric Brands will scale Claire's presence across major retail partners including Walmart, Kohl's, and CVS — spanning more than 7,000 retail locations across the U.S. and Canada. The company will also partner with Claire's to develop an exclusive collection of trend-driven assortments across multiple categories, including cosmetics, jewelry, hair accessories, stationery, bags and novelty Items.
Additionally, Centric Brands will spearhead Claire's expansion into additional categories across apparel, accessories, home, and sleepwear.
The agreement also opens the door for Centric Brands and Claire's to leverage Centric’s relationships with entertainment studios and other IP holders, bringing co-branded licensed products to shop-in-shop and wholesale channels.
“This partnership marks an important step in Claire’s evolution into a true multi-channel brand platform,” says Lawrence Berger, co-founder and partner at Ames Watson. “By expanding our presence beyond our own stores, we’re able to meet consumers wherever they shop, while continuing to invest in the in-store experiences that define the brand, like ear piercing."
Centric Brands’ portfolio includes licenses for more than 100 iconic brands, with its products sold globally through leading mass-market retailers, specialty and department stores, and online.
“We are proud to partner with Ames Watson and Claire's on this exclusive licensing agreement, which reflects Centric Brands' ability to scale beloved brands across multiple retail channels and categories," said Alex Fogelson, executive VP, division head at Centric Brands. "We have cherished our long-standing relationship with Claire’s, and we are thrilled to be taking our collaboration to the next level. This partnership will provide more opportunities for consumers to connect with the beloved Claire’s brand across even more retail touchpoints."
