Aesop Skincare Tries Its Luck With Valencia Street Merchants

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Australian skincare brand Aesop says it plans to open sometime in the late spring at 956 Valencia Street. "We are very excited to be a part of the neighborhood and have an opportunity to create a space where beauty and cultural endeavors meet," a company representative told Racked SF.

But the Valencia Corridor Merchant's Association may feel less sanguine about the move. The Mission location would be Aesop's 12th outpost, a number that violates the formula retail regulation that prohibits chains with 11 or more stores in the U.S. from opening up in some SF neighborhoods, including this part of the Mission.

In October, the merchants association drove out Jack Spade, which hoped to open in the former Adobe Books location on 16th Street. The merchants group saw the brand as formula retail—it would have been Jack Spade's 11th store, but the brand's foes argued that because it's owned by the same conglomerate as Kate Spade, it should be banned. After months of hearings, the city's planning commission seemed to be siding with the merchants and Jack Spade eventually gave up.

When asked if Aesop was worried about pushback from the neighborhood, a company representative said, "I assume in this case, respectfully, it's not up to us."
· Aesop Hopes to Edge Into the Valencia Corridor [Racked SF]
· Jack Spade Backs Out of Opening Up Shop in the Mission [Racked SF]
· Mission Neighbors Tell Jack Spade to Jack Off [Racked SF]
· 5 Things to Know about SF's Formula Retail Policy [Racked SF]