Buff City Soap, which makes and sells plant-based personal-care and household products, is replacing the former Pei Wei Asian Kitchen in The Markets at Town Center.
The city issued a permit Oct. 6 for NNI Construction Co. of Fort Lauderdale to build-out the 3,253-square-foot space for conversion into Buff City Soap at a cost of $167,000.
The structure, at 4849 Town Center Parkway, was built in 2012 for lease to Pei Wei, which closed in 2020.
The buffcitysoap.com site says the location is coming soon.
It calls its stores Soap Makeries.
The Shopping Center Group partner and Senior Vice President Stephanie McCullough and Vice President Kelly Pulignano represented Hines Global REIT in the lease.
Buff City Soap said in June 2 news release that it raised new funding from General Atlantic, a global growth equity firm.
Buff City Soap said it will use the funds to support continued store openings, product category expansion and growth in e-commerce.
The Dallas-based company, founded in 2013, says its mission is to create plant-based products free of harsh chemicals and detergents.
It says it has experienced rapid growth “as consumers are drawn to its differentiated, high-quality offering of soap, laundry, bath, and body products, which are handcrafted daily in each store’s Soap Makery.”
Buff City Soap has more than 100 stores across the U.S. “and has significant expansion planned for 2021 and beyond.”
It has been franchising since 2018 and said it has attracted highly experienced franchisees who have helped extend the brand’s reach to more than 20 states.
“As consumers increasingly look for high-quality home and personal care offerings that emphasize plant-based ingredients, we believe there is meaningful opportunity for Buff City Soap’s continued growth through product, category, and unit expansion,” said Andrew Crawford, Global Head of Consumer at General Atlantic, in the release.
He said General Atlantic looks forward to working with the Buff City Soap management team, as well as existing investors Crux Capital and Guideboat Capital, to scale the business.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
