Quick Take
In a recent meeting with Downtown Association of Santa Cruz members, the business organization's director said it was "a verified rumor" and "good news" that home decor and clothing retail chain Anthropologie will move into the spot at Pacific and Soquel avenues in downtown Santa Cruz vacated last fall by New Leaf Community Markets.
Anthropologie is expected to take over the storefront on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz that was vacated last year by New Leaf Community Markets.
In a recent meeting with Downtown Association of Santa Cruz members, Santa Cruz city officials and a retail consultant hired by the city, Downtown Association Executive Director Jorian Wilkins told the group that the home decor and clothing retail chain will be coming to the corner of Pacific and Soquel Avenue.
“If you haven’t heard that, that’s a verified rumor at this point and that’s good news,” Wilkins said. “We are getting an Anthropologie downtown in the New Leaf spot.”
Anthropologie would be the third store owned by parent company URBN to operate in downtown Santa Cruz. It also owns the brands Urban Outfitters and Free People, both located on Pacific Avenue. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In January, the property manager told Lookout that a national retailer had signed a letter of intent for the space. At the time, Reuben Helick, managing director of Cushman & Wakefield, said he believed everyone would be happy about the new tenant. On Tuesday, he confirmed the new tenant would be coming in on a 10-year lease but said he couldn’t yet disclose what retailer it is.
“Our business policy is not to announce [the new tenant] until the lease is signed,” Helick said Tuesday. “We do expect that to happen soon, then we can announce it.”
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Rebecca Unitt, the city’s economic development manager, also said Tuesday she couldn’t confirm the news yet.
New Leaf closed in October after almost 30 years in the former Bank of Italy building and plans to open a larger store in the Gateway Plaza on River Street this year. The grocery store’s closure was followed by a number of additional, high-profile store closures on Pacific Avenue, including O’Neill Surf Shop, which shuttered its downtown location in January. National “fast fashion” retailer Forever 21 closed at the end of February following its parent company’s bankruptcy filings, and Rip Curl, another surf apparel shop, closed in late January, citing concerns around theft and the desire to consolidate its Santa Cruz County stores.
Anthropologie’s parent company posted strong financial results in the fiscal year that ended Jan. 31, with total sales hitting a record $5.55 billion. As a brand, Anthropologie’s sales grew 8.3% in the fourth quarter compared to the same period last year. The company opened 13 Anthropologie stores in the most recent fiscal year and closed 11. It operates 239 stores in the United States, Canada and Europe.
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