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 Council of Shopping Centers Association (ICSC) voted Apricot Lane as the Hot Retail Concept 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, Petersen says. “That award was a big one for us. We were honoured to be amongst past Hot Retailers. It really helped to launch us in the real estate world as far as landlords and developers are concerned,” he says. RAPIDLY GROWING One of the central challenges posed to Apricot 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 behind 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.
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