Business

Adore Me: The French Lingerie e-Boutique to Open Stores

The online lingerie boutique Adore Me, founded by a French entrepreneur, has announced it will be opening “between 200 and 300 stores” in the United States over the next five years. The first store in New York is set to be inaugurated in May.
© Adore Me

“How can such a tiny piece of clothing cost so much?” His first visit to a U.S. lingerie store surprised Morgan Hermand-Waiche. The Frenchman had come to find a gift for his girlfriend, but was unable to find the same variety or quality of lingerie sold in France. What’s more, the prices were up to three times as expensive. As a result, the mathematician, who was studying for a Business and Finance MBA at Harvard, founded Adore Me in 2010.

The resulting e-commerce site has positioned itself as the anti-Victoria’s Secret, with a more diverse, less costly offering (40-50 dollars for bra and panty sets, compared with 55-75 dollars from the competing brand). And the strategy has won over American women. The company now employs 170 people, including some 20 French citizens, and posted earnings of more than 100 million dollars in 2017.

However, it is not enough to compete with the world’s leading luxury brand, whose products are sold in more than 1,600 stores worldwide. Our clients should be able to “see, feel, and try on our products,” says Morgan Hermand-Waiche. With this in mind, Adore Me is initially hoping to open “between seven and ten stores” in the New York region – New Jersey, Manhattan, Long Island, and Providence, Rhode Island. “This geographical positioning around our warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey, will help us manage stock levels during the launch phase,” says the CEO.

Adore Me is planning to recruit “dozens” of employees in the New York region. Among the company’s job offers posted on LinkedIn, two retail store manager positions are currently available: the first at the Staten Island Mall, and the second at the Bridgewater Commons shopping center in New Jersey.