Alice McCall opens permanent pop-up store

Designer womenswear brand Alice McCall has opened a permanent sale pop-up in Westfield’s Warringah Mall, where it will clear previous season styles for $150 and under.

The permanent pop-up follows a series of successful warehouse sales in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane this year, and is in response to “overwhelming demand” from customers, Alice McCall said in a statement.

“Keeping up with the demand for our warehouse sales has kept us busy this year. To minimize our resources producing these, yet be able to provide our customers with a sale pop-up they can shop regularly, makes a lot of sense to us as a business,” Nicole Macey, Alice McCall’s GM, said.

Founded by stylist Alice McCall in 2004, the designer label is known for its feminine party dresses, playsuits and separates, which sell for upwards of $400, and has been worn by pop icons, including Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, and Kylie Minogue.

The retailer said it would provide the same premium boutique experience at its Warringah Mall location, which retains its luxurious interior, including signature gold fixtures and pastel furnishings, though every garment costs $150 or less.

Macey said she did not believe the sale pop-up would diminish Alice McCall’s brand value, an argument other upmarket brands have used for physically destroying out-of-date stock, rather than selling at a discount.

“Our customers are quite savvy, and as much as they’re in search of a discount, they’re also aware that our best-selling styles sell out. Sometimes, very quickly,” she said.

Macey said one of the brand’s new season styles, the Zen Dress, sold through 96 percent in one day.

“We are fortunate to maintain full-price sales where our most wanted, new season styles are concerned,” she said.

“While some customers are happy to wait to purchase past seasons at heavily reduced prices, there is still a strong appetite for the newest must-have styles.”

Macey noted that retailers increasingly are being held to account for the lifecycle of the garments they produce, and that warehouse sales have proved an effective stock exit strategy for the brand.

“We all want to see fashion’s footprint reduced, so brands are working on ways in which they can contribute, feasibly. For us, helping find a home for every piece we create is important, regardless of its age,” she said.

Macey said Alice McCall would continue to evaluate warehouse sale opportunities in locations outside NSW as and when the demand exists.