Hot Topic
"Step into any Hot Topic store and you can easily see which fandoms are popular at any given time," said Steve Vranes, the CEO of Hot Topic.
Hot Topic may have peaked in the 90s, but the teen accessories and clothing retailer is still thriving, selling merchandise from practically every fandom and obsession under the sun.
The chain has over 670 stores across the U.S. and Canada, despite declining traffic in US malls with record vacancies. That's up from 662 locations as of 2014, according to to the New York Times. The company also maintains a reliable channel of online sales through its website, which launched in 1996.
Steve Vranes, the CEO of Hot Topic since 2016, said that the company's edge is owed to multiple factors. "To our customers, Hot Topic is more than a retailer," he said, calling the store an inclusive space for people to embrace what they love. "We represent community and self-expression."
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The store started out of a garage in Southern California in 1989 and mostly sold accessories and items adorned with skulls and spikes. Today, Hot Topic is more than a haven for punks, goths, and rockers - it's a fandom geek's heaven and likely the only place you can pick up a Harry Potter backpack and a clown-themed piece of lingerie all in one stop.
We visited a Hot Topic to see what the chain was doing right and saw how its ability to conform to changing fads is driving its success.