Dive Brief:
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Duluth Trading Company on Wednesday announced the opening of its 30th and 31st physical stores: one in Waukesha, WI on Nov. 29, the other in Wixom, MI on Nov. 30. The company opened its 29th story, in Grandville, MI, earlier this month, along with several others in recent weeks, mostly in the Midwest and the South.
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The company positioned the stores to serve customers in the Milwaukee area, as well as the growing Milwaukee-Madison corridor in Wisconsin, and in Michigan, focused on accessibility to Lansing and surrounding towns, as well as the west side of Detroit, according to a company press release emailed to Retail Dive.
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The Grandville store serves the company's Western Michigan customer base in Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon and the surrounding region, the company told Retail Dive in an earlier email. The casual apparel retailer will also be hosting "lumberjack shows" during the grand openings, along with ribbon-cutting ceremonies with local dignitaries.
Dive Insight:
Duluth Trading Company is rapidly expanding its physical footprint, which at this pace is set to match that of rival L.L. Bean, which runs 37 stores in 17 states in the U.S. (and 25 in Japan).
"Waukesha and Wixom are our final two Duluth Trading stores opening in 2017, and we are very pleased to have them ready for our customers during the holiday season," CEO Stephanie Pugliese said in a statement emailed to Retail Dive. "We look forward to welcoming our many brand fans and new customers to experience firsthand our innovative and problem-solving apparel and gear in our two newest Duluth Trading stores."
Along with its burgeoning footprint, the company is quietly building a following among outdoorsy and active types, with a straightforward "No Bull Guarantee" ("if it's not right, we'll fix it") and a marketing campaign suggesting, in part, that a woman's yoga pants should also be able to stand up to tasks like chopping wood or activities like day hikes.
The company in September reported that Q2 net sales rose 31% to $86.2 million, up from $65.8 million in the prior-year second quarter, as net income rose 18.4% to $4.3 million, or 13 cents per diluted share, compared to $3.6 million, or 11 cents per diluted share in the prior-year period. Its results are in contrast to Lands' End, which continues to suffer after separating from owner Sears Holdings three years ago.
During the second quarter, the company opened two retail stores, in West Chester, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA, as well as an outlet store in Redwing, MN.