Sam Edelman makes more retail moves

Photo: Sam Edelman’s newest store at NorthPark Center opened May 20

The Sam Edelman lifestyle brand owned by the company formerly known as Brown Shoe just opened its first store in Texas, which could be a sign of more retail expansion.



Sam Edelman opened a nearly 2,800-sq.-ft. store on May 20 at the NorthPark Center in Dallas, one of six stores the company plans to open this year. It is the brand’s first store in Texas and 11th overall. That’s not a lot of stores, but since Sam Edelman was acquired by Brown Shoe Company, now known as Caleres following a rebranding last year, retail growth has accelerated and new merchandise categories have been added and Caleres is intent on broadening Sam Edelman’s appeal as a lifestyle brand.



Sam Edelman was acquired in Caleres in 2010 and in 2012 the company added categories such as outwear, handbags and jewelry. In 2013 the company began selling online and opened its first store in the SoHo area of Manhattan. Several more store openings at distinctive retail properties and locations followed in 2014. Retail expansion picked up last year when the brand opened 2,100-sq.-ft. store in July at the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, N.J., followed by the November opening of a 2,900-sq.-ft. store at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara and the December opening of a 2,500-sq.-ft. store at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.



The recent opening of the brand’s first location in Texas follows the opening earlier this year of a 2,800-sq.ft. store at The Shops at Prudential Center in Boston, a 2,500-sq.-ft. store at Aventura Mall in Aventura, Florida, and a 2,000-sq.-ft. store at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.



While Sam Edelman is making some interesting moves, Caleres is best known for its 1,046 store Famous Footwear division and to a lesser extent its 159 stores branded as Naturalizer.



The company’s portfolio of fashion brands, of which Sam Edelman is one, is quite extensive and includes Franco Sarto, Vince, Via Spiga, Diane von Furstenberg, Fergie Footwear and Carlos Santana. Caleres portfolio of healthy living brands includes, Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl's, LifeStride, Bzees and Ryka.