Mall operator Westfield welcomes Verishop's fleet of digital brands to their American retail properties.

In a bid to attract traffic and fill vacant spaces, mall operator Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has partnered with e-commerce platform Verishop to bring digital brands incubated by the latter to physical spaces. This collaboration will result in 14 pop-up or full-store concepts at leading U.S. Westfield shopping centers.

The partnership kicks off with the feature of two exciting brands - skincare brand Ghost Democracy, developed by L'Oreal veteran Rex Chou, and luxury leisurewear brand LETT, created by Reformation veteran Justine Liu. These brands will be showcased in the first eight Westfield locations. Justine Liu's apparel line Billie the Label will also join them in the effort.

Imran Khan, Verishop co-founder and CEO, believes that Westfield's physical spaces provide another way to offer a discovery experience. The shops have opened in time for holiday shopping and "will continue their phased roll-out in 2020," according to the companies.

Verishop, which launched in June, offers a multi-category marketplace with free one-day shipping, free returns, 24/7 customer care, and the option to pay over time. The platform curates items from over 350 global brands, including digital natives, and also incubates new brands. Among the brands featured on Verishop are fashion, beauty, and wellness brands, as well as home goods labels like Boll & Branch, Cinnamon Projects, Cire Trudon, and Primary Goods. Old-school players like Levi's, Vince, Perricone, and Free People are also part of Verishop's stable.

GGP is partnering with retail pop-up architecture company The Lionesque Group to create a "living lab" called "In Real Life" at Water Tower. Similar efforts have been made by other mall operators, such as Simon's Roosevelt Field and GGP's Water Tower Place in Chicago, which have created spaces with less traditional, more flexible lease terms.

Westfield is not alone in this endeavour. Other mall developers are partnering with digital native brands to fill space and attract traffic. For instance, Simon has launched a joint venture for online discount shopping, partnering with the parent of Rue La La and Gilt.

The eight additional digital brands that Verishop, in collaboration with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, will introduce in the remaining Westfield shopping centers are not publicly specified at this time. The success of the initial pop-ups will undoubtedly set the stage for further collaborations and the continued growth of digital brands in the physical retail space.

Mall operator Westfield welcomes Verishop's fleet of digital brands to their American retail properties.