Hurley has opened a store in the heart of Waikiki at the revamped International Marketplace.
The 800-square-foot store is a partnership between Hurley and HIC. It opened November 1.
Hurley Hawaii GM Seth McKinney said Hurley has wanted a store in Waikiki for a long time. With eight million visitors to Oahu a year, not being in Waikiki seemed like a miss, he said.
However, rents are astronomical. So Hurley partnered with HIC on the store and chose to open in the International Marketplace rather than in a stand-alone store on Kalakaua Avenue.
The International Marketplace is a shopping center, and to see the stores, shoppers have to walk into the center.
“We thought it was better to be on the 50 yard line but up in the bleachers rather than on the floor not at the 50 yard line,” Seth said.
Since SES visited the International Marketplace in March, the center has become much busier. Seth said locals as well as visitors are coming to the center more because of the reasonable parking prices and wide range of restaurants. There are also several nice seating areas and other amenities.
The Hurley store is focused on the essentials that people need while in Hawaii – boardshorts, T-shirts, hats, walkshorts, and Lycra.
While the store is located toward the back of the center, Seth said they get a lot of walk by traffic because the parking lot is close by, as are the bathrooms, escalators and a seating area.
The store has met projections in the month or so it has been open, Seth said.
Overall, we have heard from several industry people in Hawaii that the economy here is going strong, with both the tourist industry booming and other facets such as construction posting robust growth.
