Pink Chicken heads to Texas as it crosses 40% in retail revenue
Pink Chicken is opening its 11th store this week in Texas, part of a two-year growth spurt for the 19-year-old company that specializes in colorful, high-quality children’s apparel.
Stacey Fraser, founder and creative director of Pink Chicken, said in an interview with Modern Retail that customer sales data from its direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels showed that Houston, Texas made sense as the next physical market. But it was scoring a location in Market Street in The Woodlands, a retail destination in the greater Houston area, that sealed the deal.
Fraser had worked for brands like Old Navy, Ralph Lauren and Baby Gap before founding Pink Chicken in 2006. Its first store opened in the Hamptons in 2008, and it has a wholesale presence at retailers such as Bloomingdale’s and Maisonette. But the brand has gained more buzz, earning a reputation as an influencer favorite in recent years, thanks to its fun, cheerful prints ranging from seashells to hockey sticks to alpacas. While Pink Chicken sells at a higher price point than mass brands like Old Navy and Carter’s, its items are made from elevated fabrics like organic cotton and are intended to be long-lasting.
The Woodlands, a 190-store shopping hub, is known for hosting family-friendly events like movie nights, holiday parties and concerts. LoveShackFancy opened a store there last month, while other newcomers this quarter include Draper James, Gorjana and David Yurman.
“Market Street, in particular, felt like such a community shopping area, and it felt very homey to us,” Fraser said. “We’re mostly in big cities on shopping streets, so we thought, ‘What does it look like to be in a market that’s more family-driven and in an outdoor shopping center?’”
The Market Street store is the sixth Pink Chicken location to open up in the last two years, including shops in Connecticut and Florida that opened this spring. About 40% of its eight-figure business now comes from its owned retail, which tends to show up in high-income shopping districts. Newer locations include Savannah, Georgia; Bethesda, Maryland and Westport, Connecticut.
But more broadly, Pink Chicken’s growth underscores how selective brands are getting about physical retail. That includes targeting smaller footprints and locations that help them tap into community experiences.
Anjee Solanki, the national director of retail and practice groups at commercial real estate investment firm Colliers, said finding the right space is increasingly competitive for brands. The most successful brick-and-mortar strategies, though, are those that use data to help drive their decision-making — including sales forecasting, persona overlays, credit card spend and location data.
“The winners are those using data to validate every new store and treating expansion as a precision exercise,” Solanki said, “not a race for unit count.”
Once open, stores like Pink Chicken can get an edge by creating enjoyable, experiential environments, Solanki said. “They’re creating stress-free moments, meaningful experiences and a sense of community,” she said.
In this phase of the business, Fraser said stores are a crucial growth lever thanks to the ability to host events and offer high-quality, put-together birthday gifts and kid-friendly shopping. Locations tend to be jewel box stores ranging from 500-1,500 square feet. Not only does this help keep overhead low, but it also makes stores easy to navigate for little kids who are picking out clothes.
The Woodlands location, for instance, will have an area for kids to read and play, and stores often host influencer events or story time with local authors. Its stores often also sell third-party merchandise like toys, books and accessories to help drive gifting opportunities.
This week, the Pink Chicken store at Market Street will host a “Flock Party“ to celebrate the opening with treats, face painting, a floral bar and giveaways. Fraser will be there to help kick things off, as she’s known for visiting with customers in the New York store and chatting with them online.
“We look at our retail stores as community hubs and a way of getting a deeper connection to our customers,” Fraser said. “A good place to start is by looking where your customer already exists, and then build from there.”