Two local retailers are teaming up in a big way. HOMAGE founder Ryan Vesler announced today that his company has landed a $10 million minority-stake investment from Columbus-based Express. Vesler posted on the HOMAGE site that the investment will allow for further expansion of the company.
“Leaning on the experience, talent and team of Express will help us reach a goal I’ve long wanted to achieve — to bring HOMAGE to more people,” Vesler stated. “For me, it isn’t just about selling clothing. It’s about heritage. It’s about stirring up emotion. It’s about building a community and having fun. And, it’s about connecting and inspiring people.”
HOMAGE first launched as an online store in 2007 and expanded into the world of brick-and-mortar with its first Short North store in 2010. Today, HOMAGE has four store locations and a large online shopping footprint. You can tune into this episode of the cbuzz podcast to learn more about the company.
While Express got its start as a spin-off concept from The Limited, it shared a similar story of rapid expansion. The first store opened in Chicago in 1980 with six more test stores opening the following year. The brand was gradually sold off over the past decade to become its own entity separate from The Limited, and currently has over 600 stores and over $2 billion in annual revenue.
“We couldn’t have a better partner than Express — we both share the same values and vision for what it means to serve a savvy customer base that years for something personal,” added Vesler. “Having a partner like Express who is aligned in so many ways is really exciting.”
For more information, visit www.homage.com.
