10
| Apricot Lane Boutique
to introduce and launch by the end of this
year, new e-commerce opportunities to the
rest of our franchisees.”
HOT RETAIL CONCEPT
In 2008, the prestigious International Coun-
cil of Shopping Centers Association (ICSC)
voted Apricot Lane as the Hot Retail Con-
cept for Fashion. ICSC has a membership
of more than 35,000 who cast votes for this
award. The recognition gives credibility to
and validates the Apricot Lane brand, Pe-
tersen says.
“
That award was a big one for us. We
were honoured to be amongst past Hot Re-
tailers. It really helped to launch us in the real
estate world as far as landlords and develop-
ers are concerned,” he says.
RAPIDLY GROWING
One of the central challenges posed to Apri-
cot Lane is faster than expected growth.
“
When you create an original and hot trend
like Apricot Lane, you have to be careful and
intentional not to grow faster than you can
support,” Petersen says. For example, in the
winter of 2011 they were opening close to
10
stores in one month. “We were a little be-
hind the eight-ball and we dipped a little bit.
Our franchisees actually felt our growth. My
goal was that our franchisees never feel the
growth and feel impacted,” he says.