White House | Black Market

White House Black Market is a U.S. women’s fashion retailer that focuses on polished, versatile apparel, shoes, and accessories for work, special events, and everyday wear. The brand is built around modern, tailored styling and first became known for its curated black and white assortment. Over time, it has added seasonal color and expanded its collections, but it still leans into a clean, put-together look that attracts professional and style-conscious shoppers. Today it operates as a specialty retail and e-commerce concept within the Chico’s FAS portfolio, serving customers through full-price boutiques, outlet stores, and a well-developed online platform.

The business traces its roots to 1985, when founders Patricia Smith and Richard Sarmiento opened “The White House,” a boutique in Baltimore, Maryland focused strictly on white apparel and accessories. They later launched “Black Market” as a sister concept built around black clothing. As both ideas gained traction, the founders combined them into a single brand, White House Black Market, which carried forward the strong point of view around a limited palette and refined wardrobe essentials. Chico’s FAS acquired the brand in 2003, providing the capital, systems, and real estate support needed to grow it from a regional boutique concept into a national chain while keeping its aesthetic and merchandising approach distinct from other banners in the portfolio. That acquisition remains a key milestone in the company’s evolution and set the stage for its current scale.

From the mid-2000s through the early 2010s, White House Black Market grew primarily through full-price boutiques in regional malls and open-air centers, then layered on outlet locations and a rapidly growing digital channel. The brand broadened its assortment beyond tops and basics into dresses, denim, suiting, and occasion categories and invested heavily in consistent fit to keep repeat customers engaged. It also introduced capsule and special-occasion collections that helped build visibility with professional women and event-driven shoppers who were looking for reliable, head-to-toe outfitting.

As of February 2024, Chico’s FAS reported approximately 400 White House Black Market boutiques and outlets across the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories, supported by a national e-commerce platform that extends the brand’s reach beyond its physical footprint. Stores are typically inline units in Class A and B malls and lifestyle centers, supplemented by outlet locations in major value centers. The brand operates as a company-owned banner and does not franchise, which helps maintain consistency in presentation and operations across the fleet.

Over roughly the past five years, White House Black Market has shifted from broad unit-count expansion to a more selective, profitability-focused approach. Under Chico’s FAS, the company has been actively managing its North American store portfolio, closing underperforming sites while pursuing targeted new and relocated boutiques and outlets in stronger trade areas. The current strategy centers on higher productivity locations with strong fashion co-tenancy, good traffic, and robust omnichannel support, rather than pushing into as many markets as possible. E-commerce and digital integration with stores now play a larger role in how the brand serves customers and evaluates physical locations, with stores functioning both as sales drivers and as part of a larger fulfillment and customer-experience network.

For landlords, brokers, and developers, White House Black Market represents a nationally recognized, creditworthy soft-goods tenant backed by the Chico’s FAS platform. Its stores typically take a flexible boutique footprint that fits well into fashion-oriented inline spaces in major U.S. metropolitan areas, high-income suburban trade areas, and destination outlet centers. The brand’s measured but ongoing fleet optimization, along with its continued investment in omnichannel capabilities, positions it as a stable, style-driven retailer that can contribute to a curated mix of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle tenants in centers serving mid to upper-middle income adult women.