Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider
Customers are greeted with a painted exposed-brick wall at the entrance of the Hollister flagship store in Soho, New York.
- Abercrombie & Fitch announced in March it would shutter up to 40 stores across its brands in fiscal 2019. The company also owns Hollister and Abercrombie Kids.
- Several flagship stores - including those in Fukuoka, Japan; Milan, Italy; and New York - are expected to close this year as part of the company's effort to cut costs.
- We visited the soon-to-close Hollister flagship in Soho, New York City, to see what this could mean for the brand and why the company could be making the right move.
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For Abercrombie & Fitch, flagship stores just aren't cutting it.
The brand - which also owns Hollister and Abercrombie Kids - announced in March it would be closing 40 stores in the 2019 fiscal year. Among the closings are flagship stores for the Abercrombie and Hollister brands in New York, Milan, and Fukuoka, Japan.
These closures represent a shift toward smaller stores with smaller square footage. Since 2014, the brand has made significant progress to attract customers to its locations by shedding the darkened stores and cologne-soaked displays.
Read more: We went shopping at Hollister and saw how it could be Abercrombie's secret weapon
We visited the soon-to-close Hollister flagship store in Soho, New York. For a brand that seems to be positioned for a comeback, this flagship in New York City left much to be desired.
Judging by the vast amount of unused or wasted space, the move toward smaller stores should help consolidate merchandise and develop a more intimate relationship with customers.
Our verdict? It's time for a change. Here's what we saw: