Business

Abercrombie & Fitch select Belfast for first Gilly Hicks store on island of Ireland

Lockdowns helped drive sales for Abercrombie & Fitch's lounge and active wear brand Gilly Hicks.
Lockdowns helped drive sales for Abercrombie & Fitch's lounge and active wear brand Gilly Hicks.

ABERCROMBIE & Fitch is to open its first standalone Gilly Hicks store on the island of Ireland in Belfast's Victoria Square this autumn.

The loungewear, underwear and activewear specialist currently has just two outlets in Europe.

First opened in 2008, Abercrombie & Fitch announced the closure of all stores in 2013, switching Gilly Hicks to an online marketplace.

But the brand has made a comeback, partly driven by the demand for lounge wear during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Kristin Scott, global brand president at Abercrombie & Fitch Co said: “We’re thrilled to continue our Gilly Hicks store expansion in Europe.

"We aim to give our customers their daily dose of happy through our updated product and welcoming store environment and we can’t wait for our customers in Ireland to experience that for the first time. ”

Russell Banham, UK Head at Commerz Real, which owns Victoria Square, added: “We are very pleased to secure the first Gilly Hicks store in Ireland at Victoria Square.

"It underlines the significance of Victoria Square as Northern Ireland’s leading retail and leisure destination and shows the key value the brand places on the retail opportunity in Northern Ireland.

"We look forward to welcoming the highly anticipated store later this year, as part of the brand’s early European expansion plans.”