Abercrombie & Fitch opens 'culturally significant' Regent St store

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Sep 19, 2021

Not ‘just another’ new store, Abercrombie & Fitch’s flagship debut on London’s Regent Street ticks several boxes for the US retailer.

It reaffirms the company’s commitment to the physical store format in Europe, its commitment to the wider EMEA market, delivers an all-new brand experience and, according to its regional GVP of Global Brands, Daniel LeVesconte, “is one of the most culturally significant stores we have opened globally”.

Gone is the logo-obsessed, lowly-lit, youth-driven store of yesteryear when its London flagship resided a stone’s throw away on Savile Row. Instead, the new store, in a prime location along a resurgent Regent Street, reflects the label’s now-refined grown-up aesthetic “featuring the brand’s updated prototype format, which provides an intimate, omni-enabled brand experience for Abercrombie adults and Abercrombie kids”.

“We believe stores matter, and our new Regent Street location is another example of our commitment to EMEA market, as well as our continued investment in and enhancement of our physical retail locations worldwide,” said Kristin Scott, global brand president at Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

Although she described the new store formal as a reflection of it opening “smaller, more intimate spaces [that] better resonate with our customers”, it’s set out across roomy well-defined floors that cover “omnichannel functionalities to provide a seamless shopping experience.”

Amenities include fitting rooms containing adjustable lighting and music controls, a phone charging dock, and buttons for customers to alert associates when they’re ready for a changing room or need additional sizes or products. 

The store also comes with Click & Collect, Order in Store, Reserve in Store and Ship from Store capabilities, as well as handheld devices that allow staff to connect customers to omnichannel offerings plus functionalities to avoid the checkout line.

“This new and exciting space… it is another step forward in fostering closer connections to our EMEA customers,” added LeVesconte.

The opening on Regent Street reflects the importance of the thoroughfare for fashion shopping in the UK as it attracts a raft of new openings and, so far, appears to be bouncing back faster than nearby Oxford Street.