Hollister opens four Gilly Hicks pop-ups

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jul 23, 2019

Abercrombie & Fitch-owned apparel retailer Hollister announced on Monday that it has opened four new pop-up stores for Gilly Hicks, its teen-focused intimates brand, around the U.S.
 

Located in The Dolphin Mall (Miami, Florida), Macerich’s Los Cerritos Center (Cerritos, California), Baybrook Mall (Friendswood, Texas) and BrandBox, a recently opened flexible retail concept at Tysons Corner Center (Tysons, Virginia), the pop-ups showcase the brand’s newly updated aesthetic, channeling Hollister’s overall summery vibe but with subtle palette changes and “modern touches”.
 
Occupying a smaller footprint in line with Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s latest strategic shift towards more intimate retail spaces, each location also features exclusive details referencing local landmarks.

The BrandBox pop-up, in particular, is set to play an important role in the definition of Gilly Hicks’ strategy moving forward. Owned by Reit Macerich, BrandBox allows established brands to try out new concepts and gives digital natives the opportunity to dip their toe into brick-and-mortar retail.
 
The space provides brands with marketing, programming and a retail analytics dashboard with which they can monitor and measure data including sales, foot traffic and customer engagement. As part of Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s wider test-and-learn strategy, Gilly Hicks will be able to use this data to inform future decisions about its evolution as a brand.
 
“These Gilly Hicks pop-ups introduce new, engaging experiences for our customers, and create greater brand awareness. As part of our test-and-learn approach, we’re looking forward to seeing how customers respond to Gilly in these unique and innovative formats,” said Kristin Scott, president of global brands at Abercrombie & Fitch Co., in a release. “Macerich and its BrandBox concept align with how we think about the evolving retail landscape and changing customer needs, so as we look to grow our Gilly Hicks brand, this partnership was a natural fit.”
 
Discontinued in 2013, Gilly Hicks made its comeback in early 2017 and is currently available in all global Hollister stores. The brand also has standalone locations at the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Roosevelt Field shopping mall in Garden City, New York.
 
Moving forward, the intention is for Gilly Hicks to continue to build its physical retail presence with further pop-ups, as well as the opening of side-by-side spaces and carveouts in existing Hollister stores.