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| What could have been Scotland's first Abercrombie & Fitch, now an Apple Store... |
As you all know, A&F's sales are down again this quarter. I believe that one of the problems here in the United Kingdom is partly to do with the exclusivity of the brand. They really don't have enough A&F stores in the UK! I don't know what they were thinking when they opened the A&F outlet in Ashford, Kent. Surely they should have opened a fully-fledged store further from their beautiful flagship store in London?
Why should I think this just now? Jack Wills, the university outfitter founded in Salcombe, England, is on the rise. Increasing numbers of people at my school, in particular, are starting to turn to JW. And as much as I hate the brand, I can see why: people are fed up with the exclusivity of A&F. The hassle of having to order online and pay shipping fees, the fact that people don't know which size is best for them and having to pay for returns are all down points in Scotland for Abercrombie & Fitch. The nearest Jack Wills store is one and a half hours away...where as the nearest Abercrombie store is six hours away in London! Can you imagine travelling six hours for some clothes?! To actually feel the textures and design and have the ability to try on and appreciate in real form... Also, the prices for the A&F brand over here, in the UK, are often about roughly double the price that US customers pay; I've actually compared prices for all four A&F brands in a previous post (here).
It's not like Abercrombie & Fitch hasn't been trying to find a store in Scotland. They did try to buy an absolutely stunning building in the centre of Glasgow – 147 Buchanan Street – but unfortunately the Company was outbid by Apple – the location has been made amazingly by adding a cool new Apple sign and a spiral glass staircase. Buchanan Street has recently been granted second place in the UK's busiest shopping street, with over 1 mile of shops, hence why it is nicknamed 'The Style Mile'. Many internationally renowned brands and designers are situated on this strip of amazing shopping including Gucci, Hermes, and Prada (inside Frasers) and Nike, Zara, and Scotland's only Forever 21. At the top of Buchanan Street, there is Buchanan Galleries which has quite an atmosphere with tenants such as our own Hollister Co. and also LEGO and Fred Perry...
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| 147 Buchanan Street |
After A&F battled for the to-then-be Apple Store, they bid for 98 Buchanan Street – a former Borders bookstore. This building looks amazing at night and maybe even better than the Apple Store! 98 Buchanan Street is such a charm; it is actually detached all around the facade, so its presence is literally outstanding by itself on the UK's second busiest shopping street. The building is actually just down slightly from the Apple Store. But again, Abercrombie was outbid and this time by All Saints. In my opinion, All Saints has made such a mess of what was a beautiful building! As you can see in the pictures below, 98 Buchanan street was a beautiful building (even as a Borders location) and how it would have looked like with wonderful illumination....it would have made for another amazing Abercrombie & Fitch international store...
What do you think? Does Abercrombie & Fitch need to expand more logically in the UK? What do you think of the two buildings above? Be sure to drop a comment and voice your opinion...
Stay FIERCE!
~Cameron
Follow @TheSitchonFitch