Frank And Oak announces retail expansion, first store in China

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Nov 29, 2021

Montreal-based Frank And Oak is ending the year with retail expansion plans including its first foray into China. 

As part of the expansion, the brand opened a 3,600-square-foot Canadian flagship in Kitsilano, British Columbia on Wednesday, while its first store outside of North America will open in Shanghai, China on December 1, 2021. Most recently, it also opened its first U.S. stores in New York and Chicago, earlier this month. 

The new retail locations will also leverage newly launched IOP, allowing the stores to be used as fulfillment centers among other digitization capabilities.

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The brand, acquired by Unified Commerce Group in 2020 following a bankruptcy filing, said the retail expansion sets a foundation for an aggressive 2022 growth plan that includes additional retail partner opportunities, advanced e-commerce efforts in China, and other brick-and-mortar stores in new U.S. and Canadian markets. Frank And Oak operated 22 stores before filing for bankruptcy, which was then cut to 11. 

Since acquiring Frank And Oak, the company has also expanded into new product categories including women’s intimates and sleepwear, along with men’s and women’s swimwear. These new growth categories are expected to contribute to 5 percent of Frank And Oak’s sales in 2022.

The B-Corp certified company is well recognized for its sustainable efforts. By the end of 2021, 75 percent of Frank And Oak’s products will be designed with more sustainable materials than before, including low water/low pesticide fibers, such as Kapok, and recycled fabrics and trims.

“The fashion industry's next generation of global brands are being led by a totally different type of organization. Ones not led by speed or a designer name, but rather led by purpose and a tribe of consumers that subscribe to that purpose and serve as daily brand ambassadors,” said Frank And Oak president, Dustin Jones.

Frank And Oak was founded in 2012 as an online menswear brand and later expanded into womenswear in 2016 and brick-and-mortar.