Gen Z and Millennials may live their lives online, but savvy brands and marketers are finding this cohort increasingly enjoys shopping in real life — or IRL as the kids say.

A.k.a. Brands, whose portfolio of digitally native brands includes Princess Polly, Petal and Pup, Culture Kings and mnml, has been engaging with the brick-and-mortar space, from new stores to a push into wholesale distribution.

[To listen to the podcast on Retail Rx, CLICK HERE .]

Princess Polly opened its first U.S. store in September 2023 in Los Angeles to “really great response,” and now the brand has 11 stores plus a “nice halo effect for the online business,” noted Ciaran Long, chief executive officer of a.k.a. Brands, in a podcast with Alex McKeown, senior vice president of Hilco Global Consumer Retail.

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