And now reporter Daniel Edward Rosen throws his hat into the RackedHampton ring. A juicy, but sadly denied, retail rumor gets the once over today.
A rather pernicious rumor making its way around East Hampton has Scoop Beach leaving their handsome spot on 51 Newtown Lane sometime by 2010, with Diane von Furstenberg coming in to replace it. But no matter how intriguing the rumor may sound, it has so far been flatly denied by all parties concerned, including Bob Wichser, Scoop's acting CEO.
"There's no truth to that at all. We're absolutely committed to (Scoop Beach). People have contacted us about that particular space, but we have no intentions of leaving," says Wichser, also of Yucaipa Companies LLC, the Ron Burkle-owned private equity firm that owns Scoop NYC. A spokeswoman from Diane von Furstenberg flatly denied the rumor, saying that it was the first the company has ever heard of it. Premier Equities, the Manhattan-based company that owns 51 Newtown Lane, according to public records, says that Scoop Beach is "still on the lease."
Despite recent reports detailing Scoop's credit and cash flow woes, including a federal lawsuit filed against the company by 17 former Scoop employees seeking $500,000 in back wages in July, Wichser believed the company would be seeing improved sales in the approaching autumn season, especially at their Newtown Lane location. "I think every retailer is facing challenging times, and our business is not much difffernt from any other retailer out there. But we are seeing a pickup in our business," says Wichser.
"We're very encouraged with our new fall receipts," he adds.
- Daniel Edward Rosen