David's Bridal continues store expansion

David's Bridal says it is committed to expanding its footprint.

The bridal dress and specialty occasion apparel retailer, which filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2018 and emerged about two months later, has opened a store at Butler Shopping Plaza in Gainesville, Fla. David’s Bridal said the opening is part of its continuing commitment “to update and improve David's existing store base and its physical footprint to better service the modern woman.” A new store in Little Rock, Ark., is set to open in late March.

The Gainesville and Little Rock locations will seek to continue the momentum David’s built in the back half of 2019 with six new store openings, in Virginia Beach, Va.; Houston; Macon, Ga.; Union, N.J.; Buford, Ga.; and Milwaukee. The retailer currently has more than 300 locations in the U.S., Canada, UK and Mexico.

"Since joining David's Bridal eight months ago, I have made it my number one priority to spend time in every store, in every market,” said Bob Walker, who was named chief field operations and store experience officer last June. “The in-store retail experience is social and tangible and cannot be replicated online, so we need to excite our customers as soon as they walk through our doors. We've torn apart every customer policy to be sure it's all in service of her, and we hold ourselves to a very high standard.”

David’s has gone through a number of changes since it emerged from bankruptcy protection. Its new CEO, James Marcum, who took the reins last June 2019, has wasted no time in shaking up the leadership ranks of the company. In December, the chain appointed its first-ever chief digital experience.

David’s recently unveiled policy changes such as price parity, an online wedding planning toolkit and a full-service messaging concierge, dubbed “Zoey.”