Feature
New Retail Concepts Target Teen and Preteen Girls
by Elisabeth Pena
The publishers of two teen magazines are trying to move their readers’
experience beyond the printed page and into specialized lifestyle venues. The
companies behind Seventeen and Girls’ Life have created brick and mortar
incarnations of their magazines, giving their female teenage audience a place to
hang out, as well as capitalizing on the fastest-growing demographic group in
the United States.
The U.S. population includes almost 32 million teens from 12 years old to 19
years old. According to Teenage Research Unlimited, teenagers spent $172 million
in 2001, about $104 per week. The companies have a head start in finding
customers given their existing audience of subscribers __ Seventeen has 2.35
million and Girls’ Life has 400,000.
In August 2001, Teen Studios, Inc. entered into a licensing agreement with
Seventeen magazine, a division of Primedia, Inc., to introduce Seventeen
Studio/Spa/Salon. Teen Studios is led by a group of executives with extensive
experience in the retail and spa/salon industries, including Susan Tierney of
Tierney & Co., a national magazine and online advertising sales firm that has
marketed Seventeen in Texas for 11 years. Other Teen Studios collaborators
include executives from Gadzooks, Inc., Salon Chain Services and Sebastian
International.
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The publishers of Girls’ Life and Seventeen have created places for their readers to hang out.
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The retail concept, which includes a spa/salon, a
retail store and an Internet cafe, primarily will target the same audience as
the magazine, girls from 13 years old to 19 years old. However, the locations,
which open at 11 a.m., will target women 18 years old to 34 years old during the
day, when teenagers are in school. While Seventeen Studio/Spa/Salon will direct
marketing at a young female audience, company executives say that everyone is
welcome at the venues, even boys.
The first location, in Plano, TX, will be 8,700 sq.ft. About 4,500 sq.ft. will
be comprised of salon and spa services, such as hairstyling stations, a Euro
Nail Bar, massage rooms, tanning beds and interactive pedicure seating. The
Studio Store will feature make-up, skincare and haircare products, as well as
Seventeen-branded merchandise, such as hats, shirts and bags. The Internet cafe
will feature thin-screen computers providing access to preselected Web sites
that are rotated monthly. The Internet cafe will sell cafe-type food, including
smoothies, coffee drinks, soda, water, juice, cookies and pretzels. Another
feature is Hotpix, a 10 foot by 10 foot wall with kiosk stations that allow
users to preview movies and video games, as well as answer ‘question of the
month’ polls and receive real-time feedback.
The first location will open June 18th at Windhaven Plaza, a strip center in
Plano. The company prefers to locate in centers or freestanding locations
because the operating hours are not regulated by mall management, enabling the
location to open early or close late to accommodate private parties or special
events. Malls also are not ideal locations for the concept because of the
difficulty in accommodating the plumbing necessary for a spa. Company management
additionally found that the mall didn’t provide the privacy girls wanted when
they went to a spa and salon.
The next three Seventeen Studio/Spa/Salon locations are expected to open in the
Dallas, TX area next year, followed by two to three Houston, TX locations. The
company prefers locations with an average household income of $75,000 or more
and a large percentage of teens per household. The company plans to operate 37
locations by the beginning of 2006, expanding the concept into the top 20 teen
population markets, including Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA. If
the concept proves successful, a major rollout is planned. Locations may be as
large as 10,000 sq.ft. depending on the market.
Targeting a slightly younger set of girls, seven years old through 15 years old,
Monarch Services Inc. is translating its Girls’ Life magazine from a newsstand
brand to Girls’ Life Living, an eatery, arcade and salon chain. The company
believes the locations fill a need in the entertainment market. “There is
nothing for girls outside of the mall,” says Eric Dott, chairman of Monarch
Services.
Girls’ Life Living is a place girls can hang out. The company’s first location
opened in Baltimore, MD during January and includes a food court, a living room
area with a giant entertainment center, an arcade with ticket-dispensing games,
computers with free Internet access, locally televised fashion and talent shows
during the weekends, free math and English tutoring during the week and free
classes for hobbies, such as scrapbooking. A hair, nail and skincare center is
expected to open on the second-floor of the 15,000 sq.ft. building during the
next few months. According to Dott, Girls’ Life Living is not just for girls;
the rest of the family is welcome too.
So far, company executives say the concept has been a complete success. “The
response has been fantastic,” Dott says. “The Neighborhood Association has been
here twice and brought more than 40 people each time.” Monarch Services’
expansion plans for Girls’ Life Living include four locations in MD, all of
which will be 25,000 sq.ft. and include ice skating rinks. Locations have been
secured in Towson, Whitemarsh, Dundalk and Pikesville. If the additional
locations are as successful, the company hopes to franchise the concept
nationwide.
The trend of retail locations offering girls more than a place to shop extends
beyond magazine spinoffs. Another venue catering to young girls is Club Libby
Lu, a store and club for girls 12 years old and younger, which debuted in August
2000. Former Montgomery Ward & Co. executive Mary Drolet is behind the concept,
which goes beyond being a retail store by offering club membership and related
privileges, such as discounts and free gifts. The company describes the place as
a funky place for girls to hang out, interact and explore their imagination
while being treated like a princess by inspiring club counselors. The stores
also host themed birthday parties. Five Club Libby Lu’s operate in Aurora,
Oakbrook, Schaumburg and Vernon Hills, IL and Wauwatosa, WI. Plans include up to
eight more openings by the end of the year in midwestern cities, including
Detroit, MI.
For more information about Seventeen Studio/Spa/Salon, contact Karen Mcauley,
The Weitzman Group, 3102 Maple Avenue, Suite 350, Dallas, TX 75201;
214-720-3641; Web sites: www.weitzmangroup.com and www.seventeen.com. For more
information about Girls’ Life Living, contact Eric Dott, Monarch Services Inc.,
4517 Hartford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214-3122; 410-254-9200; Web site:
www.girlslife.com. For more information about Club Libby Lu, contact Mary Drolet,
Club Libby Lu Wish Factory, 2650B West Bradley Place, Chicago, IL 60618;
773-638-5466; Web site: www.clublibbylu.com.