Kizik Opens Store at Mall of America as Retail Expansion Plan Kicks Into High Gear

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One year after opening it first brick-and-mortar location near Salt Lake City, Kizik is doubling down on a retail expansion plan that includes new stores and further extension into wholesale.

According to Kizik chief executive officer Monte Deere, the kicks into high gear on Friday with the opening of its second permanent store – this time at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.

Located in the mall’s West Market, the 1,645-sq.-ft. space will offer the Utah-based hands-free footwear brand’s full assortment of men’s, women’s, and kids’ shoes in all sizes, as well as new styles launching throughout the year. Additional merchandise including Kizik-branded apparel, shoe care kits and no-slip socks will also be available to purchase in store.

“We love the organic foot traffic at Mall of America, where lots of eyeballs can see the brand at its best and step into a pair of our shoes,” Deere told FN in an interview. “Mall of America is ideal for not just the quantity of eyeballs, but also there are so many international visitors from abroad that shop there that can discover us. Plus, we also found that consumers in the Midwest love our shoes and buy them regularly online. So, this store will allow new and existing customers that come to Mall of America from their homes in South Dakota, Illinois, Wisconsin or Minnesota, to see us in person.”

Following the Mall of America debut, Deere noted that the company will continue to target high-traffic shopping destinations with the opening of its next store at the King of Prussia mall near Philadelphia, Penn. on June 14. The opening of this 1,812-sq.-ft. store will mark the brand’s first permanent East Coast location and will offer Kizik’s full range of products . Both stores were built in collaboration with architecture and design firm MG2, the executive added.

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These two openings mark the latest step in Kizik’s continued fast-paced growth into new distribution channels, including additional company-owned retail stores, U.S. wholesale and international markets.

Physical locations have proved to be successful for Kizik since the brand opened its first store inside the Fashion Place Mall in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray in May 2023. Deere pointed to data gathered from the location showing a more than 70 percent conversion rate for customers who try on the brand’s shoes for the first time in-store.

Deere said he plans to have a total of six stores by the end of 2024 with new openings on Newbury Street in Boston, New Jersey and Denver slated for later this year. “In 2025, we have several more in the pipeline,” the CEO said. “We’re looking hard at Washington, D.C., Nashville, Seattle and Portland for new openings next year.”

All told, Deere said he plans to have a total of 15 stores by the end of next year.

Along with this ambitious store growth, Deere is also focused on building the brand’s wholesale business, which launched last spring with Nordstrom . At the time of the launch Kizik’s adult and kids’ shoes are currently being sold at Nordstrom stores in Lynnwood, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Oak Brook, Ill.; Scottsdale, Ariz. and Roseville, Calif., as well as online.

Now, Deere said consumers can find the brand at Scheels, Von Maur and all 174 Brown’s Shoe Fit locations. “Our initial expectations for our further push into wholesale was to open 100 doors by the end of 2024,” the CEO said . “With these new partners, it looks like we are going to be in closer to 500 doors this year. It’s remarkable how these partners are receiving us and making the decision to broaden their Kizik assortment.”

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