Australian brand Princess Polly opens more stores in the USA

Princess Polly, a popular Generation Z brand from Australia, has big plans for the US

The brand, which opened a 3,300-square-foot store at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles last September, plans to open additional West Coast stores in Boston, including Scottsdale, Arizona; Santa Clara, California; and San Diego, to build on the success of its first location, the company said.

Princess Polly targets female customers aged between 15 and 25 and sells trendy dresses, tops, shoes and accessories. The brand constantly provides inspiring social media content and offers new and affordable goods daily.

Each new store will offer more than 250 Princess Polly clothing items and more than 200 accessories and shoe styles. The walls will be decorated with selfie mirrors and colorful digital screens, and the stores will host both influencer and customer-facing events designed to strengthen the brand’s real-life connection with its community.

Husband and wife duo Wez and Eirin Bryett, co-chief executives, founded Princess Polly in 2005 as a retail store on Australia’s Gold Coast. In 2010, the brand pivoted to online operations as direct-to-consumer sales became popular. In 2018, the Bryetts sold a majority stake in Princess Polly to Boston-based private equity firm Summit Partners to help expand the brand into the U.S. and elsewhere. The company also acquired other DTC fashion companies, which it housed in the incubator Aka Brands, a company that went public in 2021. Its other lines include Culture Kings, Petal & Pup and Mnml.

“Our U.S. customers have fully embraced our first Princess Polly store in Los Angeles and we’re excited to expand to new cities on the West and East Coasts,” said Eirin Bryett. “True to the Princess Polly identity, the new stores will feature fun and engaging displays and countless must-have looks and styles that overall convey a sense of boldness and excitement.”

The brand will open in Scottsdale’s Fashion Square on September 8, San Diego’s Fashion Valley in late September, Boston’s Newbury Street in October and this winter at the Valley Fair in Santa Clara. To connect with the brand’s student customers, Princess Polly will go on roadshows to nearby college campuses and student hangouts in each location to hand out giveaways and exclusive coupons that can only be redeemed in-store.

“Expanding Princess Polly’s physical retail presence in the U.S. reflects our commitment to listening to our customers and providing an unmatched in-store customer experience,” said Wez Bryett. “Princess Polly is a high-growth global brand that continues to capture the attention of loyal customers, and we see these store openings as an opportunity to bring our personal brand experience to new customers. The four new stores give fans the opportunity to touch and feel our products and physically interact with the brand they’ve grown to love online.”

To decide where they would open stores, the Bryetts examined data from social media, focus groups and more. “We carefully select locations where existing and new customers already spend their time,” said Eirin Bryett. The company is considering more store openings in 2025, she said.

Princess Polly follows a social-first strategy that allows it to connect with its Gen Z shopper base, she said. “Princess Polly lives in Gen Z culture and has become the obvious choice for all trends,” she said.

Prices for the brand’s clothing start at around $24 and go up to around $90 for occasion wear.

The line is manufactured in China, India and Mexico.

As for global store expansion, she said the focus of their physical retail remains the US and there are no stores in Australia yet, although they are planning to. She noted that Princess Polly is available in Boathouse stores across Canada. The brand is available globally through their online store and they are focused on growing their presence in the UK through increased marketing efforts and optimizing the UK customer experience.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, Aka generated net revenue of $546,258, a decrease of 11 percent from $611,738 in the prior year. The company reported a net loss of $98,886, compared to a net loss of $176,697 in the prior year. The decrease in revenue was attributed to unfavorable macroeconomic conditions in Australia and New Zealand.