Hollister’s Intimates Brand Triples Store Count

Gilly Hicks by Hollister, a division of Abercrombie & Fitch, is opening four new Gilly Hicks pop-up stores. The intimates brand is carried in all global Hollister stores and is now continuing its expansion to its own storefronts.

One of the new locations is at BrandBox, the new flexible retail concept at Tysons Corner Center in Tysons, VA. Owned by high-end mall REIT Macerich, BrandBox provides a platform for heritage brands to test a new market or concept, and for digitally-native brands to open and operate their first physical stores. With BrandBox, Gilly Hicks will have access to marketing, programming and a retail analytics dashboard to measure key data such as in-store sales, foot traffic and customer engagement. 

The additional three new Gilly Hicks pop-ups are now open at Dolphin Mall (Miami, FL), Macerich’s Los Cerritos Center (Cerritos, CA) and Baybrook Mall (Friendswood, TX). These pop-ups join existing Gilly Hicks standalone locations at Ala Moana Center (Honolulu, HI) and Roosevelt Field (Garden City, NY).

“These Gilly Hicks pop-ups introduce new, engaging experiences for our customers, and create greater brand awareness,” said Kristin Scott, president, global brands, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. “As part of our test-and-learn approach, we’re looking forward to seeing how customers respond to Gilly in these unique and innovative formats. Macerich and its BrandBox concept align with how we think about the evolving retail landscape and changing customer needs, so as we look to grow our Gilly Hicks brand, this partnership was a natural fit.”

The pop-up stores are inspired by the brand’s updated format, featuring endless summer vibes similar to the overarching Hollister brand but with subtle color shifts and modern touches. The spaces will infuse aspects specific to each market – such as paying homage to local hot spots – and will operate on a smaller footprint, similar to Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s overall shift to more intimate customer experiences.    

In addition to pop-up locations, throughout the year, Gilly Hicks plans to open side-by-side spaces and carve-outs in several Hollister stores to further its global expansion.