American apparel brand Bombas opens first physical stores, powered by Shopify Leap integration
Five weeks ago, Bombas, which is known mainly for its socks but has also expanded into other clothing categories, opened its first bricks and mortar store on Bleecker Street in New York City.
That was quickly followed by Bombas Boca Raton. And last week, a third location opened at The Domain in Austin. All three are powered by Shopify and Leap technology.
"These stories get me so hyped. What started as an online business - selling just one product - has scaled to a household name, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and donating over 150 million essential items to people in need. All in just over a decade," says Harley Finkelstein, Shopify President.
"But there’s something even cooler going on behind the scenes here. The Bombas stores are all powered by a new integration between Shopify and Leap that takes care of everything: location sourcing, store design, operational setup, marketing, analytics… the list goes on. And thanks to our partnership with ShopSimon Malls, our merchants get access to insanely high value retail spaces that would be out of reach for most SMB brands."
"Moving into physical retail is notoriously high risk, but this is another example of how we’re bringing down the barriers to entry and supercharging scale potential for entrepreneurs. Three flagship stores opening across some of North America’s most coveted retail addresses in just four weeks. And all in time for the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Bombas, let’s go."
2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS
Physical stores were a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
We received a record number of entries and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
For a full rundown of all of the shortlisted entries, click here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
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