EXCLUSIVE: Studs Continues Retail Expansion With 10 New Stores
Studs is continuing its rapid retail growth with 10 stores opening this year.
The five-year-old ear-piercing studio is opening a fleet of units this year both in new and existing markets, bringing its store count to 40 by the end of the year.
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Studs is starting its 2025 retail rollout with new stores in Dallas, its second in the city, and Tampa, which is a new market for the brand. This follows a similar retail growth plan in 2024, when Studs opened 10 new locations and relocated two existing stores.
'We've always been really focused on where we have an existing e-commerce customer and how we bring stores to our e-commerce customers,' said Anna Harman, Studs' cofounder and chief executive officer. 'We're really focused on continued expansion across the U.S. and not just focused on one metro [area], so for us, it's about how do we prove to both ourselves and our investors that Studs can be everywhere. We're excited about the prospect of bringing it to new markets to continue proving that hypothesis.'
In addition to the Tampa location, Studs is rolling out stores in new markets like Las Vegas, Philadelphia, San Jose and Sacramento. The company will open additional stores in locations like Houston, Chicago, the Washington, D.C., metro area and Southern California. This will bring Studs' total number of stores in Southern California to eight.
Studs is also debuting a new design with the new stores, starting with the Tampa location. The design features more white, chrome and metal accents that create what Harman described as a more 'elevated' and 'mature' feel.
'It's a new look and feel — probably to the average Studs customer I'm not sure how different it'll look or feel to them — but certainly for us, it feels a little elevated,' she said. 'It feels like Studs is growing up. We're five years old and the store design is now five years old, so it was time for a little refresh.'
Studs has steadily grown its retail footprint across the U.S. since its first store opening in New York City in 2019. The brand opened the majority of its stores during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022, and hasn't slowed down its pace due to consumer demand and the positive reception.
'We're really expanding the footprint quite meaningfully year-over-year,' Harman said. 'In terms of retail growth, the store revenue is growing 40 percent year-over-year. We feel very enthusiastic about that. We've done a series of partnerships and collaborations over the year that we've highlighted and we have another series coming up again.'
Studs has plans to collaborate with local food partners for its new stores to activate both in store and on its e-commerce site. For its Houston store, Studs will have several activations tied to the upcoming Houston Rodeo.
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