MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. and LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- American Apparel, the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, announced the opening of its first store in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Opened Saturday, Nov. 15, the location is the latest addition to the company's rapid 2008 expansion. Downtown Manhattan Beach is a perfect fit for American Apparel, since the bustling streets fit with the type of intimate settings that the company prefers in locations. Further cementing its place in Los Angeles County, where much of the inspiration for the clothes comes from, the American-made clothing retailer is confident that the community will favorably respond to the Metlox Center store.

With people in the area already driving into Santa Monica to shop at American Apparel, the company is hoping the enthusiasm carries over and continues. The store, located within the vibrant downtown shopping center, is included amongst the company's increasingly common outdoor mall locations to open internationally.

Retail expansion into new markets has become common for the company, both domestically and internationally. This contrasts with other urban mainstays who, in the case of Starbucks, began closing locations even before the recent financial crisis.

The company's expansion has been the fastest retail roll out in American history and is expected to continue. As of October 31, 2008, American Apparel had opened 55 new store locations since the beginning of the year and closed 3 locations. The company had 40 signed leases for retail stores in its pipeline, including stores in new markets such as Yokohama, Japan; Toulouse, France; and Adelaide, Australia. The company plans to have opened approximately 80 stores by the end of 2008, up from its previously stated guidance of 50 to 55 stores.

About American Apparel

American Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of branded fashion basic apparel based in downtown Los Angeles, California. As of September 30, 2008, American Apparel employed over 10,000 people and operated more than 225 retail stores in 19 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea and China. American Apparel also operates a leading wholesale business that supplies high quality T-shirts and other casual wear to distributors and screen printers. In addition to its retail stores and wholesale operations, American Apparel operates an online retail e-commerce website at http://store.americanapparel.net. SOURCE American Apparel

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