Digital native brands Warby Parker and Amazon 4-Star will open at the Cherry Hill Mall in 2022, mall operator PREIT announced Nov. 17.
The brands will open locations in the first half of the year. Warby Parker’s store will be its first in South Jersey.
These e-commerce brands join recent additions, Purple and Peloton, in the clicks-to-bricks trend, indicating an increase in consumer demand for in-person retail experiences after a long uptick in online shopping due to the pandemic. Peloton opened a permanent location in the mall after the success of its temporary space; and mattress company Purple opened its space in the mall earlier this month.
“Cherry Hill Mall continues to lead the PREIT fleet by attracting high quality tenancy and generating traffic,” said PREIT CEO Joseph Coradino in a statement. “We have long believed that at the confluence of online and offline retail lives a great customer experience. The physical world allows for an unmatched marketing opportunity for brands to engage with consumers and to offer instant gratification sought by so many.”
Several other stores have opened in the mall within the last year, including the first East Coast location of Japanese-inspired lifestyle product seller Miniso.
PREIT reports that on a rolling 12-month basis through September 2021, sales are up nearly 17% compared to the rolling 12-month period ended September 2019. Since May 2021, an average of 98% of 2019 shoppers have returned to Cherry Hill Mall, PREIT said.
