One of the bigger pieces of news to emerge at the Vegas trade shows is the news that urban athletic footwear and apparel retailers DTLR and Villa have merged.
Based in Philadelphia, Villa has 120 stores and according to SGB Media, racked up sales of $225 million in 2016. Villa was acquired by private equity firm Goode Partners in 2013, and went from 33 doors at year end in 2011 to 120 at the close of 2015.
One of the big pluses of Villa is its well-developed online business, which is said to boast around $35 million in sales annually.
DTLR is based in Baltimore and has 102 stores and annual sales of $230 million. While both chains have are heavily concentrated in the mid-Atlantic states, Villa has locations in Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
At least for the near future, stores reportedly will retain their banner names. It is not known if any stores will be shuttered as a result of the deal.
With a combined 222 stores, the only larger urban sneaker and apparel format is Foot Locker’s Footaction with 268 stores. California-based Shiekh Shoes holds the No. 3 spot with 136 doors.