Hollister Co.

Template:Abercrombie & Fitch brand Hollister Co. is a clothing brand specializing in California Surfer apparel based in California under the management of Abercrombie & Fitch. The first location was opened in 2000 at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the four current Abercrombie & Fitch brands: Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie, Hollister Co. and RUEHL No.925, which operate as separate retailers. The Hollister Co. brand is targeted towards high school students of ages 14 through 18.

History

Although the brand was established in 2000, Hollister Co. puts forth the date of its establishment as being 1922, and uses the number 22 on many of its goods. In May of 2002, Abercrombie & Fitch officials sent a letter to rival brand American Eagle Outfitters accusing the company of using the number "22" on baseball caps and graphic T-shirts to confuse consumers into thinking they were getting Hollister products. Specifically, the lawsuit charged American Eagle with trademark infringement and unfair competition, common law trade dress infringement, and deceptive trade practices. Abercrombie & Fitch asked the court to stop American Eagle from using the number, and award compensatory and punitive damages.

File:Hollister Seagull.PNG

The Hollister Seagull

Appearance

Hollister's store layout is very similar to an Abercrombie & Fitch store. The entrance is designed to give off a West Coast, beach village feel. It is also supposed to portray the spirit and adventure of southwestern California. The entrance of the store is a wooden boardwalk leading into the men's ("Dudes") and women's ("Bettys") side of the store. Over the boardwalk is clay tile roofing, on each side of the boardwalk, there are two forms (mannequins without heads) dressed in Hollister Co. apparel and live videos of different surfing destinations. Upon entering the store, the west coast look continues on, with leather chairs placed around the store, and fragrances along side the chairs. The clothing is illuminated by dim lighting, as a part of the store's atmosphere. Loud music is also played during the store's business hours. Hollister Co. has a touch-screen computer system in the store, where customers can request the songs that are played in the store. Hollister Co.'s colognes and perfumes are sprayed throughout the store every 30 minutes to enhance the customer's sensory experience. Brownsheet metal lines the ceiling of the main room of the store (the lounge), where the cash registers are located, in which a California and American flag are hung. Colorful surfboards are hung behind the cash registers. Popular magazines and CD's offered for sale are located in the racks below the cashwrap. Many of the logo T-shirts mention California beaches and other popular American surfing destinations. High volume stores offer live feeds of Surf City on side walls of the store to give a more Southern California Beach feel. Hollister now uses a maroon seagull as its symbol, where as in the past the seagull color was random on each article of clothing.

Lawsuit

In 2007, the lawsuit Morris vs. Abercrombie & Fitch, Co. was finally settled. A & F recognized that they should have not asked their California customers for personal identification information during credit card refund transactions. If the customers were asked this information during June 9, 2005 through May 31st, 2007, they may be part of the settlement and receive a $5.00 gift card.

External links

• Official website