Freeport, ME, August 3, 2023
News follows the outdoor retailer’s second-strongest revenue performance in 110-year history
3 Min. Read | Inside L.L.Bean | Current Stories
Iconic outdoor retailer L.L.Bean announced today the continued investment in its omnichannel growth strategy, an effort to make the company’s trusted assortment of outdoor gear, apparel and footwear even more readily available to customers through new direct-to-consumer and partner channels.
Following its second-strongest revenue performance in company history, the Maine-based outfitter will later this year introduce four new brick-and-mortar retail stores in North America, a French-language e-commerce site for Canadian customers, two new wholesale key accounts, and a lineup of independent specialty retailers. The effort will make L.L.Bean goods available in more than 70 new storefronts, in addition to e-commerce platforms.
“Our omnichannel growth strategy continues to be an effective framework for our business, ensuring we’re able to meet customers where they are through a unique mix of channels and locations,” said Stephen Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of L.L.Bean. “We’re grateful to be in a position to expand our retail presence and build new wholesale relationships in order to serve more customers. Everything we do is in support of our company purpose to enable people to experience the restorative power of being outside, and these new ventures will ensure we’re able to fulfill that purpose for years to come.”
Founded as a mail-order catalog company by Leon Leonwood Bean in 1912, L.L.Bean has diversified its selling strategy over the past 110 years to include e-commerce (available in 150+ countries), more than 90 retail stores internationally, wholesale partnerships and mobile selling experiences. Additionally, L.L.Bean has recently optimized its fulfillment capabilities to give customers access to its full available inventory – with the ability to buy, pick-up, and ship to or from any L.L.Bean point of purchase.
Brick-and-Mortar Expansion, French-Language E-Commerce
This fall, L.L.Bean will expand its brick-and-mortar footprint with the opening of two new retail stores in the U.S. and two stores in Canada, including:
- Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec – opening Aug. 25, 2023
- Hanover, Massachusetts – opening Sept. 8, 2023
- Boisbriand, Quebec – opening Sept. 29, 2023
- Peabody, Massachusetts – opening Oct. 6, 2023
The company will open its first retail stores in Quebec, Canada, both located in the greater Montreal region. A French-language e-commerce site will also be launched to coincide with the opening of the stores to ensure French-speaking customers enjoy a seamless and customized online shopping experience. For more information on the store openings and the website launch, visit llbean.ca/Quebec . L.L.Bean currently operates 56 stores in the U.S and 25 stores in Japan, and has 13 licensed retail store locations in Canada operated by Ontario-based Jaytex Group.
Wholesale Key Accounts and Independent Specialty Retailers
L.L.Bean will add Dillard’s and outdoor goods purveyor Moosejaw to its roster of U.S. wholesale key accounts, as well as 10 independent specialty retailers in the southeastern U.S. These wholesale partnerships will enable L.L.Bean to offer a curated assortment of goods through established, trusted retailers, providing customers in more locations across the U.S. the opportunity to interact directly with the brand’s iconic products, which have traditionally been most accessible online and through the L.L.Bean catalog.
Greg Elder, L.L.Bean Chief Retail Officer, added: “As a 110-year-old company, we have taken great care in ensuring we deliver exemplary customer service to everyone who visits an L.L.Bean store, shops with us online, orders through our famed catalog, or via any other touchpoint. We are honored to be in a period of growth as a company, and that is a credit to our customers, employees and partners. We look forward to continuing to deliver industry-leading customer service and offer everyone who shops with us the goods they need for life, home, and any adventure that awaits.”
For more news and updates from L.L.Bean, visit Inside L.L.Bean .
About L.L.Bean
L.L.Bean, Inc. is a leading multichannel merchant of quality outdoor gear and apparel. Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, the company began as a one-room operation selling a single product, the Maine Hunting Shoe. Still family owned, Shawn Gorman, great grandson of Leon Leonwood Bean, was named Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2013. While its business has grown over the years, L.L.Bean continues to uphold the values of its founder, including his dedication to quality, customer service and a love of the outdoors. In 2022, L.L.Bean donated $5.5 million to outdoor and community-enriching organizations focused on increasing access to and inclusivity in the outdoors. L.L.Bean operates 56 stores in 19 states across the United States, along with 25 stores in Japan and 12 stores in Canada, in partnership with Jaytex Group. The 220,000-sq. ft. L.L.Bean retail store campus in Freeport, ME, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and welcomes more than 3 million visitors every year. L.L.Bean can be found worldwide at www.llbean.com , Facebook , YouTube , Pinterest , and Instagram .
