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COSTA MESA, Calif. — Australian furniture brand Coco Republic is debuting the extensive remodel of its 42,000-square-foot store here with a three-day grand opening celebration, while at the same time winding down business at its San Francisco flagship.
The company, which is focused on expanding U.S. access to its Australian lifestyle brand, revamped its HD Buttercup location at SOCO and The OC Mix, an interior design center in Southern California’s Orange County to feature the Coco Republic line.
A new addition to the showroom is a patio area to showcase Coco Republic’s outdoor furnishings. The entire space was given “a more coastal vibe” with an oak entry and wood floors to appeal to the coastal Orange County shopper.
Along with the renovated Orange County site, Coco Republic recently became the anchor at the HD Buttercup Design Center in Culver City, Calif., which also serves as the U.S. corporate office for Coco Republic. But the company is in the process of shuttering its three-level, 53,000-square-foot San Francisco store in Union Square with a closing sale, less than year after opening it.
Skye Westcott, U.S. president of Coco Republic, told Furniture Today “it was an extremely difficult decision” to close in San Francisco. “Since we opened the traffic has not been what we hoped in such an amazing area of the city,” she said.
Despite support from local neighborhood customers, “we need the west, east and south of the city customers to come into the city and shop. The stores around us have been closing at a rapid pace, and less and less customers have been coming in to shop for their home,” she said.
Although Wescott didn’t reference the reason for the increase in vacancies, San Francisco has been dealing with a growing issue with homelessness downtown, along with a lack of office workers post-pandemic, which has prompted major retailers such as CB2, Whole Foods and Nordstrom to leave. Williams-Sonoma also announced plans to exit Union Square in 2024.
“The vacancies around us make it a less-than-desirable place for anyone outside of the neighborhood to come in to shop,” said Westcott. “There are still many tourists, but the home category is not what sells to tourists.”
Coco Republic will continue to service its trade and design clientele in San Francisco virtually through their own portal on the company’s new website and via house calls, she said, adding “we hope in the future to be back in the Bay area with a location.”
