Buff City Soap
Preferred Sq. Footage: 1,500-1,800 s.f.
This handmade soap chain is focused on building its brick-and-mortar presence, with an eye on continuing to build its presence throughout the South, including Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Colorado, Ohio, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida. It is also working on development deals that could quickly more than double its store count. The seven-year-old brand – backed by private equity firms Guideboat Capital and Crux Capital – is currently in the process of moving its headquarters to Dallas from Memphis, which includes bringing on a new team with a range of retail experience.
Lululemon
Preferred Sq. Footage: 700-2,750 s.f.
This sports apparel chain continues to work toward making 10% of its stores experiential, like the 25,000-s.f. store opened in Lincoln Park, Ill., last year with yoga studios, meditation spaces, and juice and food. The chain has been looking at using four different designs for its stores: temporary pop-ups; a 3,000-s.f. and a 5,500-s.f. layout; and the large 25,000-s.f. experiential model. It may sign short-term leases of three to six months to test new markets or to capture high season foot traffic, such as during the back-to-school season. It has opened up to 60 seasonal stores annually during the last few years. Lululemon added 12 net new stores during the past three months for a total of 491 locations.
The Human Bean
Preferred Sq. Footage: 500-2,500 s.f.
With growth fueled by multi-unit franchisees, this specialty coffee drive-thru chain will target sites in North Carolina, Texas, California, Wyoming, Idaho, Ohio and South Carolina. While it’s signature store design is a double-sided drive-thru, The Human Bean can also utilize a single-sided drive-thru design as long as there is room for a menu board and order station to ensure a speed of delivery matching that of its double-sided stores. It currently has 25 locations in development.
Baja Fresh
Preferred Sq. Footage: 1,400-1,800 s.f.
Currently targeting Midwestern states by reducing its franchise fee in the region from $50,000 to $30,000. Potential markets include Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville and Nashville. Expect owner Kahala Brands to specifically target regions in the U.S. in which Baja Fresh has a limited presence as it also works to build its international footprint.
