| Aritzia LP | |
| Type: | Public |
| Founder: | Brian Hill |
| Foundation: | 1984 |
| Location: | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Num Locations: | 101[1] |
| Num Locations Year: | 2021 |
| Area Served: | North America |
| Key People: | Jennifer Wong (CEO) |
| Revenue: | [2] |
| Num Employees: | 8,300[3] |
| Industry: | Clothing Retail |
| Products: | Young women's clothing and fashion accessories Sportswear |
| Homepage: | aritzia.com |
Aritzia LP is a Canadian clothing retailer targeted towards young North American women. The company was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, by businessman Brian Hill in 1984. Aritzia sells a variety of lifestyle apparel through various upscale retail stores across Canada and the United States and online. Aritzia describes itself as "everyday luxury" brand at attainable prices.[4]
Aritzia opened its first store in 1984 in Oakridge Centre, a shopping mall located on Vancouver's West Side.[5] Since making national forays across the Canadian retail clothing landscape throughout the next two decades, the company opened its first U.S. stores in Seattle and Santa Clara in November 2007.[6]
The company went public on October 3, 2016.[7]
In 2019, major shareholder Berkshire Partners, an American private equity company, exited its stake.[8]
In June 2021, Aritzia announced it would be acquiring Reigning Champ, a menswear-focused Canadian athleisure and streetwear brand, for $63 million.[9]
In May 2022, Jennifer Wong took over as CEO, replacing longtime founder and executive chair Brian Hill.[10] Prior to taking on the position of CEO, Wong held the role of COO at Aritzia since 2007. Wong joined the firm in 1987 as a sales associate at the Robson Street store in Vancouver, one of the first Aritzia's first flagship stores.[11]
Unlike other Canadian clothing retailers, Aritzia distinguishes itself by primarily selling its own in-house fashion brands, such as Wilfred, Wilfred Free, Le Fou by Wilfred, TNA, Talula, Babaton, The Group by Babaton, 1 -01 Babaton, Sunday Best, Main Character, Community and Super Puff. In 2014, Aritzia introduced two handbag lines: SIXELEVEN and Auxiliary.[12] Stores also carry clothing from labels such as Citizens of Humanity, Mackage, New Balance, Levi's, A Gold E, Havaianas, J Brand Jeans, Adidas, Herschel Supply Co. and Rag & Bone.[13]
The interior and exterior architectural configurations of Aritzia's stores are designed individually. After a location is hand-selected, a team of architects and interior designers create a bespoke look with a mixture of local influences, natural materials, custom furniture, and art.[14] It is intentional that there are no mirrors in most of the dressing rooms, forcing shoppers to head into a communal space. (Each store has at least one dressing room with a permanent or roll-in mirror for those shoppers wanting additional privacy). Some locations have complimentary coffee bars or serve alcohol.[15]
As of January 2021, Aritzia operates 101 stores in North America; 68 boutiques are located in Canada including 5 TNA stores, 8 Wilfred stores and 4 Babaton stores.[16] There are 44 Aritzia stores in the USA, including a 13,000 square-foot flagship location in Manhattan, New York City.[17]
In January 2017, Aritzia announced the opening of a flagship store in Chicago on Rush Street.[18]
In November 2012, Aritzia launched the aritzia.com e-commerce site.[19] It also provided a digital magazine with artist profiles and galleries of clothing trends.