Jessica McCormack Plans to Open Second U.S. Store at South Coast Plaza Next Summer

CALIFORNIA GIRL: Jessica McCormack is on the move, with plans to open a second U.S. store at South Coast Plaza. The store will span 1,600 square feet, and is set for a summer 2026 opening.

The London-based diamond jewelry brand opened its first U.S. store in May at 743 Madison Avenue in New York City and, like many British brands, has big ambitions in the booming American market.

The brand has two stand-alone stores in London, an art-filled flagship in a town house on Carlos Place in Mayfair and a 1,300-square-foot store on Sloane Street with neighbors including Tiffany & Co. and Cartier. It also has a space at Harrods.

The U.S. store rollout comes in the wake of an investment last year from Lingotto Horizon, which is owned by the Agnelli family’s Exor holding.

Chief executive officer Leonie Brantberg told WWD in an earlier interview the plan is to grow the brand, but “in a very careful and considered way. No one’s on my back as CEO saying you’ve got to open 20 stores a year. We have a handful of stores, let’s say less than 10 that we’re planning for the foreseeable future. And we have our eyes on the U.S. as the next horizon,” she said.

With Brantberg at the helm, the brand is eager to grow by positioning itself as an alternative to heritage, big-name jewelry houses, such as Tiffany & Co. and Cartier, and independent art jewelers such as JAR.

She believes there is great potential for Jessica McCormack, which is offering diamonds that are “wearable, modern and effortless. These are diamonds you can live in, sleep in, swim in and wear from day to evening.”

One of the big sales drivers has been women buying for themselves, she added. They account for nearly 50 percent of all purchases. They’re buying for birthdays, anniversaries and professional milestones, and hoping to hand down the jewelry to children and younger generations, she said.