Abercrombie is opening new travel-themed stores – WWD

Abercrombie & Fitch is unveiling a new retail concept this week – The Getaway – inspired by the emotions felt before the start of the long weekend.

Although the stores are still called Abercrombie & Fitch, the design is meant to replicate a sleek hotel lobby, and the mix of merchandise is designed to satisfy the diverse needs of the 25- to 35-year-old customer.

The first two stores will be opened outside of Milan in the Il Centro shopping center and the Los Angeles Del Amo Fashion Center. They are approximately 4,500 square feet and carry both men’s and women’s clothing.

“We want to make every day feel like the start of a long weekend and deliver something that meets those needs,” said Kerry Krug, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of the New Albany, Ohio-based retailer.

So the mix includes clothes for work, office wear, drinks after 5pm and accessories. The assortment “captures the entire customer’s life for their weekend itinerary,” says Krug, and includes pieces from the company’s best-dressed guest wedding ceremony and personal best activewear collection.

“This is the concept of Getaway and we’re bringing it to life through physical practice,” Krug said.

The stores feature high-end furniture and furnishings, wood accent walls, and separate areas dedicated to each category.

“We translate our customers’ ideas into real-world immersive experiences,” said Joanna Ewing, Group Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of A&F. “For us, their passion for denim is expressed in a dedicated denim studio. The fitting rooms are enhanced with customizable lighting and elegant design elements. Their affinity for travel is captured in the store’s hotel lobby-like vibe, complete with a check-in desk. The overall design of these new stores conveys our customers’ unique escapist mentality with heightened comfort.” The way they bring to life this truly represents Abercrombie.

The group is targeting millennials and millennials, which Krug says are “words we coined” to describe consumers who are in the workforce and live on their own. “Someone in their mid-20s is our sweet spot,” she said.

Krug added that the stores will be marketed through the company’s social channels, including TikTok.

A&F has more than 300 stores in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. The locations of the first two Gateway stores were chosen because the company had access to the right real estate opportunities and represented cities where the brand had a “deep digital experience,” Krug said.

She said that if the concept is successful, the company will open a “brand of others” in the country and around the world. She declined to give a projected number or a timeline, saying the public company is in a quiet period before releasing its second-quarter results on Aug. 25.

“We’ll see how the customer responds, but we’re very optimistic,” she said. “Abercrombie’s young millennial and millennial customers continue to use our stores for a variety of needs – discovering new products and trends, picking up orders online, meeting friends or IRL, finding out if they’re a great fit or simply enjoying the brand experience. . From the flow and design elements to the functionality of the spaces, everything is designed to reflect the ideal experience of our customers, whether they are visiting for a change, shopping experience or using the store’s comprehensive capabilities.

Over the past four years, A&F has worked to restructure its retail footprint, opening smaller, neighborhood stores and growing its online presence. At the company’s Investor Day conference in June, it set a goal of reaching $4.1 billion to $4.3 billion in revenue and an operating margin of at least 8 percent by the end of 2025, compared with last year’s revenue of $3.7 billion. A 1.2 percent margin in the red in the first quarter of this year. It is also targeting annual sales of $5 billion by the end of fiscal year 2025 and annual sales growth of 3 to 5 percent.