53.2 F
Laguna Hills
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

AutoHaus West Adds Service at Expanded Dealership

After a good 2003, Ira Kreindel moved his luxury dealership AutoHaus West to bigger digs at the Irvine Auto Center. He took over the old Irvine BMW building this past May, after that dealership moved to Research Drive, opposite the auto center.

AutoHaus, which sells used Porsches, had $18 million in sales last year. The dealership also sells classic and exotic cars as well as new models such as Mercedes-Benz. AutoHaus sells about 40 cars a month.

With the added space, AutoHaus put in a service department. AutoHaus used to contract out for service work, Kreindel said. The dealership employs six people.

Kreindel has been in the car business since 1983, working as finance director and general sales manager at local dealerships. He started AutoHaus in a Laguna Hills warehouse in 1997.

Dealership Bought

Michael Korman, owner of a few California Mitsubishi dealerships, has bought Tuttle-Click Automotive Group Inc.’s Hyundai dealership at the Irvine Auto Center for an undisclosed sum. Korman’s group of dealers includes Santa Monica Mitsubishi, Modesto Mitsubishi and Tracy Mitsubishi.

Art and Then Some

Art Hub, an art store and gallery, recently opened in Old Towne Orange. The store sells handmade crafts from as little as $5, said Rahda Jaini, Art Hub’s owner. It is decorated with artists’ works as well as art done by local students.

The 2,500-square-foot gallery and store has a mini theater for showing independent films. The store even offers $10 ballroom dance lessons and teaches yoga.

Online Retail

Online retailers met last week at the Anaheim Convention Center to share ways of boosting sales.

Monica Luechtefeld, Office Depot Inc.’s executive vice president of global e-commerce, was the keynote speaker.

Retailers selling on the Internet had their first profitable year in 2003, according to a study by the Washington, D.C.-based National Retail Federation’s Shop.org and Forrester Research Inc. of Cambridge, Mass.

Online retail sales rose 51% to $114 billion in 2003, they said.

In 2004, online sales are expected to grow 27% to $144 billion, driven by travel, home and computer products. Online sales are expected to account for nearly 7% of retail sales. Look for more on the convention in next week’s column.

Some of the study’s findings:

Travel pulled in $42.3 billion in sales last year. Products for the home made up $11.1 billion. Computer gear and software came in at $11 billion in sales.

Apparel at $8.2 billion, automotive products at $7.2 billion and consumer electronics at $5.7 billion were the next biggest sellers. Luxury items and jewelry sales were $2 billion and projected to hit $2.8 billion this year.

Store-based retailers selling online improved operating margins from 7% in 2002 to 21% in 2003. Web-based retailers jumped from a 16% loss in 2002 to a 15% gain in 2003.

South Coast Plaza News

South Coast Plaza is offering its “Angelitos Card” for $50. Cardholders get 20% discounts at some 100 shops at the center.

Proceeds from card sales are set to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County. The cards are good Nov. 4 through Nov. 9.

In other South Coast Plaza news, Ralph Lauren’s 5,700-square-foot store opened at the center.

And Beverly Hills-based glasses designer Oliver Peoples is opening a boutique at South Coast Plaza. The 1,022-square-foot store’s opening was pushed up to January from later in 2005.

“There’s a lot going into it,” said Regina Rybek, spokeswoman for Oliver Peoples.

A few months after the opening, Oliver Peoples plans to launch an “active lifestyle” brand, she said.

South Coast Plaza was the first choice for a new store, according to Rybek.

“It just fits our brand,” she said.

It didn’t take long to get a spot, just a few months, Rybek said.

South Coast Plaza is set to be Oliver Peoples’ fifth location. The original store is on the Sunset Strip. It has two in New York and one in Tokyo. Oliver Peoples glasses also are sold at Neiman Marcus in Fashion Island, among other stores.

Larry Leight, Oliver Peoples’ cofounder and chief designer, said demand is big in Orange County with customers driving up to the Los Angeles store to shop.

Oliver Peoples has a celebrity following. Most recently, the tentacled villain in the movie “Spider-Man 2” wore Oliver Peoples’ shades. Others wearers include Kate Moss and Bono.

Coming to Fashion Island

Minimalist German designer Jil Sander AG plans to open a store within a store at Neiman Marcus in Fashion Island. The dedicated section is one of two Jil Sander plans, the other being in Boston.

The move comes amid a backdrop of high-fashion drama at Jil Sander, which was bought by Italy’s Prada in 1999. Namesake designer Jil Sander was ousted in the deal.

Sander has been back for about a year after a three-year hiatus. She’s taking a hands-on approach to retail as well as design, with plans for more accessories and a perfume.

Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country?

Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!

Previous article
Next article
-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-