L.L.Bean plans to open a store in New Haven, CT in the summer of 2018.
The L.L.Bean store will be located at The Shops at Yale, featuring a blend of stores, boutiques, award-winning restaurants, museums, events, concerts and more. The nearly 9,000 square-foot, two-level store will feature an assortment of active and casual apparel and footwear, as well as a variety of outdoor lifestyle gear. The store will employ approximately 60 people and will exist as a community outdoor resource for high-quality gear and apparel, as well as technical expertise and knowhow. This will be L.L.Bean’s 36th retail store outside of Maine.
“This will be an exciting new location, with a bustling student population combined with all of the vibrant, dynamic facets The Shops at Yale offers,” said Ken Kacere, senior vice-president and general manager of retail at L.L.Bean. “New Haven is an energetic city, with plenty of cultural and cosmopolitan amenities, yet it also boasts an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities within proximity, like cycling the Farmington Canal, paddling on the Quinnipiac River, or hiking in East Rock Park. Adding all of this up and we know it’s going to be great home for us.”
As part of its overall national retail expansion plan, L.L.Bean made the decision to continue to expand its presence into Connecticut due to the store’s proximity to several abundant natural resources and multiple opportunities for many outdoor activities, a population base that not only enjoys regularly engaging in a variety of outdoor pursuits, but one that also has a high-degree of awareness of and affinity for L.L.Bean. The store will allow the people of greater New Haven and beyond to experience first-hand everything the legendary outdoor retailer offers: quality merchandise, exemplary customer service, a welcoming shopping environment and an ethos to always do what’s right by its customers, employees, the environment, and the community. L.L.Bean also operates full retail stores in Danbury and South Windsor as well as an outlet store in Orange.
Of particular note will be the inclusion of L.L.Bean’s Outdoor Discovery Schools, which will offer demonstrations, clinics and introductory hands-on courses for a variety of outdoor activities, all designed to make it easy for people to engage in outdoor recreation for health, fitness, and recreation. L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools’ courses are offered at every L.L.Bean Retail Store. In 2016, over 150,000 people participated in these programs.
“We are delighted to announce that L.L.Bean will be joining the Broadway Shopping District at The Shops at Yale in the summer of 2018. The addition of L.L.Bean will create approximately 60 new jobs in New Haven and will continue to add to the vibrancy and unique mix of national, regional and local retailers in downtown New Haven,” said Lauren Zucker, Yale University’s Associate Vice President for New Haven Affairs and University Properties. “Yale University’s community investment program supports the growth of New Haven businesses, reinvigorating New Haven’s downtown, creating jobs, and expanding the city’s tax base.”
L.L.Bean operates 34 stores in 16 states across the United States, along with 25 stores in Japan.
Photo courtesy L.L.Bean
