It’ll be the American retailer’s first UK store outside London
Famed for its laidback All-American fashions, global retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has announced plans to open a Manchester store, its first UK branch outside of London.
Taking a 5,554 square foot space at intu Trafford Centre, the new ‘prototype’ shop is expected to open in August as work continues on the £75 million transformation of Barton Square, the shopping centre’s expanding retail outlet.
The Abercrombie & Fitch Manchester branch will feature innovative and considerate fitting rooms, with customers able to control lighting and music, as well as use a phone charging dock.
The fitting rooms will also act as private suites to accommodate larger groups of friends and families.
Aimed at shoppers aged 21-to-24-years-old, Abercrombie & Fitch is best known for casual but sophisticated clothing (think varsity, preppy Californian apparel) for men and women.
Manchester is a young, vibrant and fashion-forward city, making intu Trafford Centre an ideal location for our second store
"Manchester is a young, vibrant and fashion-forward city, making intu Trafford Centre an ideal location for our second store and our first prototype in the UK," said Stacia Andersen, Brand President of Abercrombie & Fitch and abercrombie kids.
"We’ve seen increased productivity with these new prototypes and we look forward to offering another engaging A&F experience to both new and existing customers in the Manchester area."
On the new store, Colin Flinn, regional managing director at intu, said: “...we’re working with Abercrombie & Fitch to create a second UK store and the first example of its new prototype in the UK. Abercrombie & Fitch will be at the heart of intu Trafford Centre where it will benefit from the high number of young, affluent shoppers visiting the centre for our exceptional retail and leisure mix.
"intu Trafford Centre will mark its twentieth anniversary later this year and this is the latest in a long line of international and home-grown retailers who have come here to establish a new base outside London during that time.”
For the intu Trafford Centre, the arrival of Abercrombie & Fitch marks the centre’s continued growth. Following the Barton Square expansion, the shopping complex will also see a new glass-domed roof, 110,000 square foot of extra retail space and a complete redesign in 2019.
