Diane von Furstenberg Is in NYC Retail Domination Mode

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Diane von Furstenberg may be pretty open about her love affair with tech—remember when she designed fashion-y Google Glass frames?—but when it comes to growing her business, the designer is looking beyond the web to brick-and-mortar expansion.

In a move that WWD deems "aggressive," DVF has signed off on a plan to operate 100 new U.S. stores in the next five to six years, including "five, six or seven stores in Manhattan alone," according to brand co-chairman Josh Horowitz. A brand makeover is on the way as well—the Meatpacking District flagship will be the first to feel the effects, with a renovation scheduled for January completion that will include an in-store cafe and a new, accessories-up-front-ready-to-wear-in-the-back layout.

As for the new locations, DVF carved out a Brookfield Place store earlier this year. "The World Trade Center is going to be more of an impulse-buy consumer," Horowitz told the paper. "Brookfield Place is more of a local TriBeCa consumer as well as tourists."

And for the rest of the city, Horowitz plans to go big in Manhattan—and that's just for starters. "Certainly Madison Avenue, the Upper East Side, Upper West Side and the Flatiron District," he said. "We could have five, six or seven stores in Manhattan alone. Then there's Brooklyn." Then there's Brooklyn.
· DVF Focuses on Retail Growth [WWD]
· DVF Picks Brookfield Place for Her Third Manhattan Store [Racked NY]
· All Storecasting News [Racked NY]