Beyond Yoga Launching First Retail Store
Since it was founded in 2005, Beyond Yoga has only been sold online or in multibrand retail stores.
Now the 17-year-old Los Angeles company is laying the groundwork to open its own Beyond Yoga stores across the country. But first, it’s starting out small.
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On Saturday, the athleisure company will open a tiny pop-up store in the popular shopping center The Grove in L.A. to get an idea of what products are selling well and how consumers respond to them. “We’re treating it like a bit of a lab,” said Michelle Wahler, the cofounder and chief executive officer of the brand.
At only 200 square feet, the pop-up, which is open until July 24, will have only a limited selection of Beyond Yoga’s bestselling styles in a wide array of sizes, ranging from XXS to 4X. “We’re going to have a fit specialist on hand so people can find the right styles that work best for them,” Wahler said.
For the pop-up venture, Beyond Yoga is introducing a new color, called crisp heather lavender, currently found only at The Grove.
Later this year, Beyond Yoga will open its first full-size store in Santa Monica, with more doors to follow in California and beyond. No further details have been revealed. “The plan is to expand to areas where we already have a fan base,” the CEO said.
Beyond Yoga emphasizes fit and comfort for all shapes and sizes and was founded to promote body positivity. The brand is known for its comfortable and soft fabrics and for manufacturing almost all of its selection of leggings, tops, shorts and dresses in L.A.
One of its fastest-growing categories is maternitywear, Wahler said, which will continue to expand, and menswear was added this year. “A lot of women who were shopping Beyond Yoga, wanted to see the same buttery, soft high-quality products for the men in their lives,” Wahler said.
The men’s category is launching at other retailers in August with a few key partners such as REI, Scheels and Bloomingdale’s.
Beyond Yoga’s expansion was made possible by Levi Strauss & Co. acquiring the brand last year for $400 million in cash. It was Levi’s first acquisition under the leadership of CEO Chip Bergh, who has been with the San Francisco-based company for 10 years.
At the time, Bergh said the acquisition put the company in the fast-growing and high-margin premium activewear category. Beyond Yoga’s revenues this year are expected to total more than $100 million.
Levi’s officials said the acquisition has strong potential for profitable double-digit growth with expanded categories, new geographies, retail locations and better distribution. Beyond Yoga sells primarily in the U.S.
As part of the deal, Beyond Yoga is working as an independent division. “They want us to do what we do best,” said Wahler, who founded the company with Jodi Guber Brufsky, who is no longer with the organization.
The Beyond Yoga CEO said Levi’s has helped with its expertise in marketing, distribution, retail strategies and human resources. “Obviously brick-and-mortar is completely brand new to me,” Wahler said. “Now I have a whole team of people helping me.”
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