**Abercrombie & Fitch** is coming to England! On Thursday 22nd March they open their 10,000 sq foot flagship store in Saville Row, which is expected to achieve similar sales as the New York Fifth Avenue store. Now, I took a trip to the Abercrombie & Fitch store in New York last year and a shopping experience it certainly was.
Gorgeous cheerleader-type girls walked around in skimpy tops and denim minis whilst some hunky boys were topless. These were the staff, I must add. CEO Mike Jeffries, has promised “a store full of gorgeous kids” in London too. He calls them ‘store models’ not sales assistants! Jeffries’ recruiters have apparently scoured the London College of Fashion, upmarket clubs, gyms and former reality TV contestants (think Shipwrecked, not Big Brother) to find the best looking young guys and gals.
With over 1,000 stores already in the US, I’m surprised how long expansion into Europe has taken. I expected this day to come a whole lot sooner. And now that it’s arrived? Well, i’m not sure. For the past few years I’ve loved having a few unique A&F items sent over by friends or purchased on state-side trips. With a store in England, Abercrombie will be kind of, well, mainstream won’t it? Another thing, shopping in this kind of environment does nothing for the self-esteem!