Youth clothier Rue21 hires Sabre Real Estate to expand on LI

Youth clothing retailer rue21 Inc. plans to expand its Long Island reach with more than a dozen stores, according to Garden City-based Sabre Real Estate Group Llc.

The 843-store specialty apparel chain, based in Warrendale, Pa., has said in its financial filings it intends to open 120 stores this year in new markets nationwide. Rue21, which has two Long Island locations, in Massapequa and Deer Park, said Wednesday it retained Sabre Real Estate as its exclusive Long Island broker.

"We are very excited to roll out a successful expansion program for such a great company," said Jayson Siano, Sabre managing principal, in a news release.

The chain "intends to open more than a dozen stores in the region," and is looking for spaces ranging between 4,000 and 5,000 square feet, Sabre said. Rue21 didn't return calls for comment.

Long Island's consumer spending power as well as a surplus inventory of store space are among the factors that make Long Island an attractive region for rue21 and other retailers, said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst with the NPD Group, a Port Washington-based market research firm. Companies that had put their plans on hold during the Great Recession are back in expansion mode, he said.

"It's the store that's got the upper hand rather than the landlord," Marshal said.