AMAZON PLANS A CLOTHING STORE FOR A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MALL

Amazon says it plans to open a clothing store in a Southern California mall later this year, a first for the online behemoth and a fresh challenge for already struggling traditional retailers.

Amazon said Thursday that the store, which will sell women’s and men’s clothing as well as shoes and other accessories, will open at the Americana at Brand mall in Glendale, California.

Shoppers will get personalized recommendations pushed to their phones as they browse the new Amazon Style store stocked mostly non-Amazon fashion labels, the Seattle based company said. Amazon declined to offer any more details on the labels.

The store will be about 30,000 square feet, similar in size to a Kohl’s but about one-third the size of other department stores, like Macy’s. But it will offer more than double the number of styles as traditional stores do because it will show one of each style on display while keeping the rest in the back room. The selection is chosen by Amazon curators who also use feedback provided by millions of customers shopping on Amazon.com.