Teso Life, a coveted brand for Japanese lifestyle retail, will open its first store outside New York and fifth in the nation in NewQuest Properties’ Carrollton Town Center in North Dallas.
Teso Life has signed a long-term lease for 14,236 square feet of class A retail space in the 154,835-square foot project, an iconic collection of specialty shops and experiential restaurants located at the President George Bush Turnpike-Old Denton Road intersection in Carrollton. Doors will open in early fall.
“To bring Teso Life at this time in the business recovery cycle gives Carrollton Town Center a sense of newness and encourages people to venture out and explore,” says Heather Nguyen, who’s gained prominence in retail brokerage for creating the high-end Asian-influenced lifestyle concept for Houston-based NewQuest Properties. “We traveled to Japan and visited many department stores and retailers. Teso Life’s high-quality products for daily use are a perfect complement for the center, which has been successfully attracting a diversified demographic and new experiences for our audience.”
Teso Life emphasizes Japanese culture and aesthetics, specializing in authentic beauty products, hard-to-find flavors of popular snacks, home goods and creative merchandise. The diverse lineup is made up of well-established and affordable, quality brands in high demand by Asian communities worldwide.
“As a retailer, Teso Life does a really good job of curating rare gems from Japan. You feel as though you’re in another country from the moment you enter the store,” says John Nguyen, vice president of NewQuest. He and colleague Grace La, associate, represented the tenant.
The prestige cosmetics industry in the U.S. generated $18.8 billion in sales in 2019. Entrepreneur Andy Lin launched Teso Life in 2017 after investing several years into developing a department store-style concept of leading J-beauty brands and lifestyle products.
“Teso Life is geared not only to the Japanese audience, but crosses all spectrums. Its products are rarely found in the U.S., but are common in Japan,” says Heather Nguyen, development partner. She represented the landlord in lease negotiations.
The NewQuest team has spent nearly three years marketing Texas to Teso Life, focusing on the state’s business-friendly climate, low labor costs and high consumer demand. Headquartered in Queens, New York, the retailer came on board when a prime spot opened up one month ago between 99 Ranch Market and Daiso in Carrollton Town Center, which attracts Asians and non-Asians alike to NewQuest’s eclectic mix of international retail and culinary experiences.
“The success of Japanese brands like Daiso and Kinokuniya Books in Texas has shown the consumer demand is there for Teso Life to expand to Dallas and land at NewQuest’s Carrollton Town Center,” John Nguyen says.
Carrollton Town Center is 98% occupied, with just 3,454 sf of available space. The project’s second phase is limited to ground-leased pad sites, two of which are already under negotiation.
“Daiso and Kinokuniya Books chose Carrollton Town Center for their first locations in Texas,” La says, “and quickly discovered their great exposure to a mainstream audience.”