The Condé Nast Publications (New York) is opening a Teen Vogue Haute Spot store in the Mall at Short Hills (N.J.). But the publisher of Teen Vogue magazine does not intend to sell merchandise. Instead, reports The New York Times, the store will be a place for girls to relax, try on clothes, drink smoothies and be wooed by marketers.
The Haute Spot is a pop-up concept that will be open for the upcoming holiday season, from November 28 through December 26. Teen Vogue will later open two stores in March and April to promote prom wear. The locations are not set, but The Times reported they will be in malls on the East and West coasts. And, in August, it will open two locations featuring back-to-school gear.
The Short Hills Mall store will offer free snacks, informal modeling, a perfume bar, a makeup station, charging stations for cell phones and iPods, a gift-wrapping counter and racks of clothes. Stylists and attendants at the store will advise visitors on lipstick, shoes and outfits, and will take visitors to the other stores in the high-end fashion mall.
More than 20 Teen Vogue advertisers are participating, including Clinique, Armani Exchange and Aldo. Teen Vogue said it did not charge most advertisers to participate in the store. Instead, the promotion was offered as a perk to some top advertisers, while some were asked to buy an extra page or two in the December/January issue of Teen Vogue.
“We feel we’ve created a retail environment that doubles as a place where they can come together, be girls and shop together,” said Laura McEwen, the publisher of Teen Vogue. “We’re not actually selling products, because our goal is to encourage people to shop in the mall.”
“The thing that was attractive to us is it’s not a high-pressure environment,” said Denny Downs, Clinique’s executive director for marketing in North America. “We wanted them to have the ability to play, and learn about our product. We’re looking at it more as a marketing opportunity than a sales opportunity, but because of the location, it could easily make the leap.”