bebe

Bebe Stores, Inc. (stylized in all lowercase) is a women’s retail brand that was established in 1976. The brand develops and produces a line of women’s apparel, accessories, and perfume fragrances, which it markets under the “bebe” or “Bebe Sport” or “Bebe Outlet” names.

On April 21, 2017, bebe announced it would close its remaining 168 brick-and-mortar locations to sell products online as web sales

The company was founded by Manny Mashouf in 1976, who emigrated from Iran to the United States in the early 1970s, where he opened the first bebe store in San Francisco during a time when three categories dominated the women’s wear market: junior, bridge and misses.

The name “bebe” is derived from the soliloquy from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet in which the eponymous Prince ponders: “To be or not to be…” Founder Manny Mashouf came up with the name after a conversation at a party he attended in San Francisco during the 1970s, shortly before he established the brand. However, the company’s name was “Babe, Inc.” until it held its initial public offering in 1998.

Mashouf has owned approximately 55% of the company. It was announced in 2015 that Mashouf was to sell his 59% stake in bebe.

History

In 2014, a Telephone Consumer Protection Act class action lawsuit was filed against Bebe Stores, Inc. The plaintiff sought to certify a nationwide class consisting of all people who provided their cell phone numbers to bebe at one of its brick-and-mortar stores and subsequently received text messages from bebe at any point from January 2010 through the present (the Class Period was later certified to begin October 16, 2013, when governing law took effect).

In March 2017, bebe announced that it would close all stores in 2017, and become an online-only retailer.

Bebe has partnered with Global Brands Group to keep its e-commerence and its international stores in operations since June 2017. A new lifestyle concept store was opened in New York City in March 2018.

The company has operated 312 stores, of which 215 are bebe stores, 32 are 2b Bebe stores, 64 are BebeSport stores (this includes bebe/bebeSport 2-in-1 stores), and one is a Bebe accessories store. These are located in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. Bebe also has international divisions in Lebanon, Kuwait, Egypt, Israel, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, and UAE.

The Brand

The first store was opened in San Francisco in 1976 as bebe. The company launched BebeSport in year 2003 to focus on active lifestyle by means of sportswear, tops, sweaters, outerwear, and accessories. In 2009, BebeSport stores were converted to PH8, with BebeSport product now sold in bebe and 2b Bebe stores. The company converted BebeSport stores to PH8 stores in November 2009. PH8 offers casual weekend apparel, work-out attire and accessories such as bags, shoes and seasonal items. Bebe’s outlet division 2b Bebe provided clearance merchandise, logo merchandise and special cuts produced under the 2b Bebe label exclusively for the outlet stores.

In 2012, bebe launched a bridal wear line which was available in stores throughout the United States. The line debuted with a collection designed by Project Runway runner up Rami Kashou. Additional bridal salons were under consideration; however, the business venture was eventually ditched due to poor sales.

In January 2019, bebe launched a revamped e-commerce platform and loyalty program developed by outsourced e-commerce company Branded Online.

To further brand exposure, the company signs celebrities for ad campaigns. Brenda Song was the face of bebe’s 2007 ad campaign. The company signed actresses Rebecca Romijn as the face of bebe from spring 2007 through spring 2008 and Eva Longoria as the face of BebeSport from spring 2007 through spring 2009. Mischa Barton was the face of bebe’s 2006 ad campaign.

Campaign

In 2007, bebe selected advertising agency MD70, with creative direction by Fredrik Peterhoff to produce Bebe Holiday, Bebe Sports, and Bebe Accessories’ spring 2009 campaigns. Photographed by Camilla Åkrans, styled by Julia von Boehm and shot in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, the bebe spring campaign featured model Anne Marie van Dijk. The campaign appeared in the February and March issues of Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour, as well as on billboards and phone kiosks in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. A campaign video ran in stores and online on the bebe YouTube channel.