Wet Seal to open 13 holiday pop up shops throughout US

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Oct 21, 2016

Wet Seal announced on Wednesday the opening of 13 holiday pop up shop locations in the US. The specialty retailer for young women reemerged from bankruptcy in 2015 and is poised for a comeback with the help of General Growth Properties.

 
The holiday pop up stores, which will be located at GGP shopping centers throughout the US, will range in size from 3,000 to 5,000 square feet and will offer contemporary fashion and holiday gift items. Wet Seal will open its temporary stores on November 3.
 
"We are focused on curating our shopping centers with the retailers that our customers want," said Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of GGP. "Brick and mortar plays a significant role in the holiday-shopping experience, and through its pop-ups, GGP is excited to bring the Wet Seal brand to new communities."

Wet Seal CEO Melanie Cox, who joined the company in 2015, added, "We see an opportunity for additional brick and mortar locations during the peak holiday season. Customers have reached out to request the return of Wet Seal stores to their local areas, and we are pleased that we are able to meet that need."
 
Cox succeeded Ed Thomas as Wet Seal CEO after he led the company through its transitional period. A 25-year retail veteran, Cox was challenged with leading the women’s retailer post-bankruptcy. In 2015, Wet Seal filed a Chapter 11 and was later acquired by Versa Capital Management. Following its acquisition, former CEO Thomas and CFO Tom Hildebrandt remained to lead the retailer through a transition period. Former Destination Maternity EVP & CFO Judd P. Tirnauer later succeeded Hildebrandt as Wet Seal CFO.
 
The Wet Seal holiday pop up stores will be located at Tucson Mall in Tucson, AZ; Altamonte Mall in Altamonte, FL; North Point Mall, Cumberland Mall, Perimeter Mall and Peachtree Mall in Georgia; Northbrook Court in Northbrook, IL; Rivertown Crossings in Grandville, MI; Woodbridge Center in Woodbridge, NJ; Sooner Mall and Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma; Park City Center in Lancaster, PA; and Northtown Mall in Spokane, WA.