WESTWOOD - The countdown is on for Red Mango. The non-Pinkberry, unquestionably-yogurt franchise from South Korea is ready to open its doors, quite possibly soon in Westwood. We heard May, now they're saying end of June. Our sister Eater LA reports that Craigslist help-wanted ads have been posted with the bold statement: "Red Mango did it first, and nobody does it better." Red Mango also has a MySpace page (Giant Robot is its friend.) where it warns visitors: "Our yogurt is NOT being served in "California Roll & Sushi"! They are serving their own yogurt and calling it Red Mango without our permission!"
LOS ANGELES - Nike is partnering with Foot Locker to open basketball-oriented "House of Hoops" stores across the US. The first store will be in NYC (bastards!) followed by stores in LA, Chicago, Houston and other places where people play basketball. Via FT.com: "The new stores represent a break from Nike's previous direct retail strategy of relying largely on its large "Niketown" stores to promote its brand." Coming to a suburban mall near you.
BEVERLY HILLS ADJ - UK high-end clothing retailer REISS opened up shop on May 10th, reports our googling. Oh look, pictures of Dominique Swain. WWD.com says REISS hopes to bank on celebrities to sell it's brand. WWD quotes the especially vapid sounding CEO, David Reiss: "We have never been one to do big advertising campaigns, but the whole world is celebrity-driven," said David Reiss, founder and chief executive officer. "If we are going to go to L.A. and open this flagship, and we are linked to celebrities, let the world know about it." Lame.