Buttoned-Down Brooks Bros. to Open on Ritzy Rodeo Drive

Brooks Bros., the clothing company known for its classic oxford shirts and blue blazers, said Wednesday that it is moving into the Rodeo Drive storefront left vacant since Tommy Hilfiger Corp. closed its shop three years ago.

The long-term lease agreement for the 22,000-square-foot location represents the largest deal in terms of square footage on Rodeo Drive in recent memory, local real estate brokers said. Terms were not disclosed, but monthly rent for ground-level retail space on the ritzy, designer-lined Beverly Hills block recently have gone as high as $22 a square foot.

“It’s the biggest store on Rodeo,” said Neal Golub, a broker with CB Richard Ellis’ Beverly Hills office who was not involved in the deal. “It’s a shame to be sitting vacant.”

New York-based Brooks Bros. said it will open its Southern California flagship store in September. The clothier, which also sells its apparel in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Italy, operates seven stores in California, including one in downtown Los Angeles.

Rodeo Drive’s new tenant may seem like an odd addition to a street that is home to such haute couture retailers as Giorgio Armani and Prada. But Brooks Bros. touts itself as a brand name with celebrities. In fact, the company claims that it opened its first Los Angeles store in 1939 at the urging of Fred Astaire and Clark Gable.

“We are pleased to have this unique opportunity to become a part of one of the world’s most premiere shopping locations,” said Claudio Del Vecchio, president and chief executive.

Tommy Hilfiger opened its Rodeo Drive flagship store in November 1997 to sell more expensive clothing instead of its mainstay men’s and women’s sportswear. The store, which served as an anchor for retail business along Rodeo Drive at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard, shut down in 2000 as the company moved away from expensive locations.