SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 5, 2026--
a.k.a. Brands Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKA), a portfolio of next-generation fashion brands, today announced it has fully executed leases for eight new Princess Polly stores across the U.S. and expects to announce additional locations throughout the year. New locations set to open in the second half of 2026 include Houston, Texas; Frisco, Texas; Orlando, Florida; and Edina, Minnesota, with locations in Jacksonville, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Boca Raton, Florida; and Charlotte, North Carolina opening in early 2027.
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Princess Polly has strategically grown its U.S. retail footprint in recent years, and this next wave of openings will introduce the brand to Minnesota and Texas for the first time. The retailer also debuted its first Australian retail location at Bondi Beach last year, with additional expansion in Australia planned for this year.
“Since opening our first store in Los Angeles, the response to Princess Polly’s retail expansion has exceeded expectations,” said Eirin Bryett, co-CEO of Princess Polly. “Our community continues to shape where we go next, and the enthusiasm has been incredible. Bringing Princess Polly into physical retail allows us to connect with our customers in real life and deliver the on-trend fashion they love through an immersive, in-store experience. As we expand into new U.S. markets and accelerate our global growth, we remain focused on staying deeply connected to our customer. It’s an exciting chapter for the brand, and we’re just getting started.”
Princess Polly stores are expected to debut throughout 2026 and 2027 at The Galleria in Houston; Orlando’s Mall at Millenia; Edina’s Southdale Center; Frisco’s Stonebriar Centre; Jacksonville’s St. Johns Town Center; Nashville’s Mall at Green Hills; Charlotte’s SouthPark Mall; and Town Center Boca Raton. Each grand opening will be celebrated with events for customers featuring prizes, giveaways and special offers.
To shop Princess Polly products online and to view the current store locations, visit us.princesspolly.com.
About Princess Polly
Princess Polly is a leading fashion brand delivering the latest trends, exclusive designs and lower environmental impact looks to trendsetters globally. As industry pioneers in the digital space, Princess Polly is constantly evolving and is now expanding its presence further into physical retail. Princess Polly brings its unmatched fashion and shopping experience to brick-and-mortar stores, enhancing accessibility and connection with its loyal customers. Follow @princesspolly on Instagram and TikTok.
About a.k.a. Brands
a.k.a. Brands maintains a portfolio of global fashion brands, Princess Polly, Culture Kings, Petal and Pup and mnml. Through these brands we reach a broad audience of next-generation consumers who seek fashion inspiration on social media and primarily shop online. Our brands are hyper-focused on the customer and serving them newness and a seamless experience throughout the entire shopping journey. We leverage a data-driven ‘test and repeat’ merchandising model that allows us to introduce new and exclusive fashion weekly, so our customers are always on-trend. We leverage innovative data-driven insights to authentically connect and engage with customers across the latest marketing platforms. Further, we are committed to showing up for customers wherever they shop, whether that’s online, in-stores or through wholesale channels. Leveraging our industry expertise and operational synergies, we help accelerate our brands so they can grow faster, reach broader audiences, achieve greater scale and enhance their profitability. We believe we are disrupting the status quo and pioneering a new approach to fashion.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain matters within this press release are discussed using forward-looking language as specified in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and, as such, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results or performance to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the opening of additional Princess Polly stores and the Company’s growth prospects. The forward-looking statements presented herein are based on the Company’s current expectations. For a description of factors that may cause the Company’s actual results or performance to differ from its forward-looking statements, please review the information under the heading “Risk Factors” included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and the other documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein, to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with regard thereto, or any other change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except to the extent otherwise required by applicable law.
Princess Polly to open new stores in Houston, Frisco, Orlando, Edina, Jacksonville, Nashville and more.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administration’s immigration crackdown and disaster response.
Trump, who said he would nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin in her place, made the announcement on social media after Noem faced a two-day grilling on Capitol Hill this week from GOP members as well as Democrats.
Noem’s departure marks a stunning turnaround for a close ally to the president who was tasked with steering his centerpiece policy of mass deportations. But she appeared to increasingly become a liability for Trump, with questions arising over her spending at her department and over her conduct in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Trump said Noem “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!).” He said he was making her a "Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.
Noem, who appeared at a law enforcement event in Nashville, Tennessee, moments after Trump's announcement, did not address her ouster there. She read from prepared remarks and was not asked by attendees about the development.
Later, in a social media post, she thanked Trump for the new appointment and touted her accomplishments as secretary.
“We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again,” she wrote.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration will work with the GOP-led Senate to get Mullin, whom she called “extraordinarily qualified,” confirmed to lead DHS “as soon as possible.”
Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trump’s second term. Her tenure looked increasingly short-lived after hearings in Congress this week where she faced rare but blistering criticism from Republican lawmakers. One particular point of scrutiny was a $220 million ad campaign featuring Noem that encouraged people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.
Noem told lawmakers that Trump was aware of the campaign in advance, but Trump disputed that in an interview Thursday with Reuters, saying he did not sign off on the ad campaign.
Noem has faced waves of criticism as she’s overseen Trump’s immigration crackdown, especially since the shooting deaths of the two protesters in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration enforcement officers. The former South Dakota governor was also criticized over the way her department has spent billions of dollars allocated to it by Congress.
Her department, DHS, has been at the center of a funding battle in Congress over immigration enforcement tactics and has been shut down for 20 days, although many of the employees are continuing to work, often without pay.
Even before Noem’s appearance before key congressional committees this week, Republican lawmakers had been anticipating the secretary’s eventual ouster, particularly after her handling of the immigration enforcement crackdown in Minneapolis.
As they tried to end the ongoing Homeland Security shutdown, Senate Republicans had noted privately to Democratic senators that Noem was likely on her way out and that that should prompt Democrats to move forward with agreeing to fund the department again, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
Democrats did not see that as an actual concession by Republicans, considering Noem was becoming a political liability for the GOP, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
Aside from immigration, Noem also faced criticism — including from Republicans — over the pace of emergency funding approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and for the Trump administration’s response to disasters.
Critics welcomed Noem's departure. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote “good riddance” on social media, a sentiment echoed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Some immigration activists questioned whether her departure would change the execution of an immigration agenda that they fundamentally disagree with.
“This is not accountability, just a reshuffling of the enablers of the agenda of President Trump," said Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, an advocacy group. She said Noem’s tenure was “marked by cruelty.”
Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official who was elevated under Noem’s watch to lead immigration crackdowns in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, was one of the few who applauded Noem’s tenure.
“She is the best Secretary I ever worked for, period. The others weren’t even close. Noem is the ultimate patriot,” Bovino told The Associated Press.
Mullin would need to be confirmed by the Senate, but under a federal law governing executive branch vacancies, he would be allowed to serve as an acting Homeland Security secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.
Voting in the Senate just after Trump's announcement, Mullin said he has “no idea” how quickly his nomination will move.
“The president and I are good friends. So we look forward to working closer with the White House, and obviously I’m gonna be over there a lot more,” he said.
Mullin would need to be confirmed by the Senate, but under a federal law governing executive branch vacancies, he would be allowed to serve as an acting DHS secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.
Mullin would take over the third-largest department in government that has responsibility for carrying out Trump’s hardline immigration agenda. And he would assume the role at a pivotal time for that agenda.
Immigration enforcement during the first year of Trump’s administration was largely defined by high-profile, made-for-social-media operations with flashy names, often led by Bovino, who reported directly to Noem. Noem herself often went out on those operations, riding along with officers when they went out to make arrests.
But those high-profile operations in places like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis often led to clashes with activists and protesters that were captured on video and drove opposition to the president’s immigration agenda.
That culminated with the shooting deaths in Minneapolis after which Trump shuffled leadership of the operation. The number of officers there was drawn down shortly after.
Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed.
FILE - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appears for an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem dance to the song "Y.M.C.A." at a campaign town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds, Oct. 14, 2024, in Oaks, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks with reporters on the steps at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
FILE - Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Jan. 14, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
FILE - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appears for an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
