Retailer Faconnable comes to 5th Ave

Real Estate Weekly, July 7, 1993

The French-based retailer Faconnable will open its U.S. flagship store in 5,400 square feet of selling space at 689 Fifth Avenue, between 54th and 55th Streets, the former home of Gucci for more than 20 years.

The long-term leasing transaction was negotiated by Alan Victor, executive vice president, and Farley Clark Jordan of The Lansco Corporation, the exclusive brokers for Nordstrom, Inc. The Fifth Avenue flagship is a jointventure with Nordstrom, which sells Faconnable products on an exclusive licensing basis through its department stores.

According to Jordan, Faconnable is one of the most prominent retailers of men's sportswear and clothing in France, with stores in Germany, Japan, Belgium and Portugal.

Faconnable will occupy the northeast corner of 54th Street adjacent to Elizabeth Arden's Red Door. Other retail powerhouses on the block include Takashimaya, Bijan and Christian Dior.

The store at 689 Fifth Avenue was vacated by Gucci almost a year ago after two decades of occupancy. Faconnable, which will occupy 3,300 square feet of ground floor space plus a 2,100 square foot selling mezzanine, plans to open in October.

According to Victor, who recently negotiated the Warner Bros. Studio Store lease on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, the Facconable lease is just one more indication of the growing strength of Fifth Avenue's retail corridor in the 50's.