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PIRCH is an American retail company based in San Diego, California. Founded in 2009, it specializes in fixtures and appliances for the kitchen, bath and outdoors. The company has received several prizes and honors as a retailer and for the design of their showrooms, where customers can find what they are going to buy properly installed and working. It was listed as number 25 on the 2015 Forbes list of America's Most Promising Companies. The company changed its name from Fixtures Living to PIRCH in August 2013.
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History
The company was established in 2009 by James Stuart, a retired commercial real estate developer, after he experienced a string of disappointing retail encounters in the appliance and plumbing sectors while building his home. After conducting a study of the competitive landscape, Stuart determined that there was "a void in the marketplace, left by industries that had remained virtually unchanged for decades." Convinced that consumers wanted a more interactive shopping experience – as well as one that was more aesthetically pleasing – Stuart recruited former business colleague James P. Manning, a like-minded entrepreneur who had previously founded Interstate Plumbing & Air Conditioning in Las Vegas, Nevada. Together, the co-founders conceived of a store that would inspire consumers to "dream about, play with and choose products for better living". As a result, the company's first showroom, based in San Diego, featured working indoor- and outdoor-kitchens, live showers and baths, and functioning washers/dryers, bucking the tradition of experiences that left consumers "with no real physical connection" to the products they viewed.
The following year, a second location, based on the same concept, was opened in Rancho Mirage, California.
With ambitions to grow the venture nationwide, Stuart and Manning decided to expand the company's ownership base. Jeffery R. Sears, a veteran business leader recognized for his ability to grow high-profile companies, was brought on as partner and CEO. In addition, Kevin Burke, of Las Vegas-based Burke Construction Group was brought on as a fourth owner and partner.
Once the management team had been solidified, the company embarked upon its expansion plans, targeting Costa Mesa, California, as its third location. Simultaneously, FITCH, a London-based retail design firm, was given the assignment to "completely re-invent the shopping experience in the [appliance and plumbing] category". On September 10, 2011, the Costa Mesa showroom opened.
Honors and awards
In addition, Forbes magazine named PIRCH #25 on its list of America's Most Promising Companies and Business Insider included PIRCH on its list of 25 Companies Revolutionizing the Way We Shop. Previously, Fixtures Living was recognized as number 78 on the same list (2013).
Partnership
On February 26, 2013, Catterton Partners (a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut), known for its funding of companies such as Build-A-Bear, Pop-Chips, Baccarat, Outback Steakhouse and Restoration Hardware, announced its investment in PIRCH as a minority shareholder. The transaction is expected to accelerate the growth of the retail concept, as it begins its aggressive expansion across the country.
Growth
PIRCH has four Southern California locations – San Diego, Rancho Mirage, Costa Mesa and the Glendale Galleria, serving the greater Los Angeles market.
The first store outside California was opened in Oak Brook, Illinois, in February 2014, and another at the NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas, in August 2014. In December 2014, a seventh store opened at the Lenox Marketplace in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the company's plan to expand its luxury retail stores nationwide.
Starting in 2014, the company announced plans to open four locations per year for the next several years. In March 2015, PIRCH introduced a location at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, and a three-story location in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City, New York opened in May 2016.