More Online Retailers Opening Physical Stores, JLL Reports

By Michael Tucker

A record number of e-commerce retailers opened physical stores last year and 850 more are set to open in the next five years, reported JLL, Chicago.

The JLL Clicks-to-Bricks report noted online mattress retailer Casper will open 200 stores within three years, women's intimates company Adore Me announced plans for up to 300 additional stores and online sneaker seller Allbirds recently opened a 4,800-square-foot New York flagship and plans more stores in four cities in the next year.

"The clicks-to-bricks retailers' expansion plans demonstrate the value these brands place on having a physical presence with which to engage shoppers," the report said.

One business plan is the "showroom model," JLL said. "They came of age in the digital era, so it makes sense for clicks-to-bricks retailers to operate on a showroom model--that is, to offer only samples of products for customers to try out and then ship actual purchases to shoppers' homes from a warehouse," the report said. "Bonobos and Indochino, for example, both operate as menswear showrooms. M.Gemi, the shoe retailer, and Universal Standard, the plus-sized apparel company, operate similarly."

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