SLS resort, formerly Sahara, to feature Fred Segal stores

A view of what the SLS Las Vegas resort will look like from Sahara and Las Vegas boulevards Tuesday, May 1, 2012.

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A preview of the SLS Las Vegas resort that will be replacing the iconic Sahara, Tuesday May 1, 2012. Launch slideshow »

Las Vegas shoppers used to choosing from a number of upscale labels will find only one name inside the retail center of the new SLS hotel and casino.

Fred Segal, which has helped define high fashion in Los Angeles, will operate seven stores in a 10,000-square-foot shopping center at the SLS, set to open in the old Sahara. SBE, the resort's owners, and Sandow, which manages the fashion icon, announced the exclusive agreement today, saying it marks the first time one brand will occupy all of the retail space in a hotel.

Each Fred Segal store will sell different merchandise, ranging from men's and women's apparel to swimsuits, jewelry and beauty items, and are scheduled open with the SLS in 2014.

By having a single brand, SBE hopes to pull in a hotel guest list of faithful Fred Segal shoppers.

"We will be able to activate a powerful marketing channel that communicates with a highly sought after consumer base already loyal to brands,” Rob Oseland, president of SLS Las Vegas, said it a statement.

Fred Segal is a fashion name dropped on television shows such as "Beverly Hills 90210," "The O.C." and in the film "Legally Blonde" to illustrate Southern California chic. The brand has stores on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood and in Santa Monica, Calif.

“Las Vegas is a luxury retail mecca at the crossroads of the world, and a key market for our expansion of the Fred Segal brand,” said Adam I. Sandow, chairman and CEO of the company that acquired the fashion name earlier this year.

Sandow and SBE founder Sam Nazarian have done business before.

Culture + Commerce, which licenses Fred Segal for Sandow, also brought Nazarian together with hotel designer Phillipe Starck. The company also is responsible with pairing SLS hotels with photographer Matthew Rolston on room lighting and musician Lenny Kravitz, whose design company created the penthouse and private bungalow for the hotel in Miami's South Beach.

"Sam values design and branding as a business tool to create better properties and experiences," said Michele Caniato, Culture + Commerce president.

Other plans for SLS Las Vegas call for the Bazaar, a tapas and cocktail restaurant, by Chef Jose Andres and a Shelter nightclub.

SBE opened its first hotel in Beverly Hills and followed with the South Beach resort this year. Nazarian plans to open another hotel next year in New York before launching the Las Vegas casino. As with the Sahara, all three hotels rose out of rebuilding aging properties.

In May, SBE secured $300 million in the first round of financing for SLS Las Vegas. Demolition has begun inside the former Sahara building and construction is scheduled to begin early next year.

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