Jigsaw expands in California

London-based fashion chain Jigsaw opened its second flagship in California this week. The launch of the 3,000 square foot store, located on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills , follows the opening of a 2,000 square foot store in San Francisco last month. The company already operates two other stores in the Los Angeles area, one in Pasadena and the other in Brentwood . The latter is the retailer's first US outlet. The two-year-old store's success is such that the company decided to expand in California . "We thought, if it was successful in Brentwood, which has a suburban-type feel, and is a lot like London in that way, it could be successful in other areas with the same feel," Kimmy Ratican, Jigsaw's senior manager, told WWD. "The climate in San Francisco is almost exact to London ." To accommodate the softer climate of Southern California , the brand designed a specific US range. It includes light weight cashmere knits, angora rib sweaters and a wool sweater dress for fall.

Jigsaw is a privately held company, established 37 years ago. It currently has 47 stores in the UK and net sales for the year ended September 2004 were £77.9 million, with a net profit before tax of £9.0 million. The company also has concessions at seven outlets of the American retail chain Parisian in the southern US. According to Edward Atterton, director of Jigsaw's US operations, Jigsaw chose to establish itself on the West Coast, because it "has allowed us to work out who the Jigsaw customer is. If we were in New York , we would have hit the ground running. Here we can control costs, and grow the company organically." He said the company is open to further expansion on the West Coast, but also the East Coast and the Midwest . "But we don't wan to rush," he said. "First we want to get these stores right." Without divulging sales figures, he said he was "very pleased" with the performance of the US stores.