Ruehl No.925

Template:Abercrombie & Fitch brand RUEHL No.925, or simply RUEHL (spelled all-uppercase, pronounced "rule"), is an upscale American lifestyle brand from Abercrombie & Fitch Co. It is inspired by the artistic and cultural heritage of New York City's Greenwich Village. The brand is designed for post-collegiate individuals aged 22 through 35, retaining consumer basis past collegiate consumers for the A&F Co. RUEHL retails its apparel, leather goods, and lifestyle accessories through its stores and ruehl.com.

History

Fictional background

According to Abercrombie & Fitch's publicity material, RUEHL came to be as so:

In the 1850s, the German Ruehl family immigrated to West Village (a division of Greenwich Village). There, they moved into 921 Greenwich Street and opened up a leathergoods shop. Their first customer was a little "inquisitive" bulldog who walked in with a "steadfast demeanor" and a "confident attitude". The shop then on became popular, providing the Ruehls with a decent living. The Ruehl's son later moved next door into No.923 and took over the business. Being inspired by the fashion of James Dean and his work, he introduced RUEHL jeans. Afterwards, the grandson, moved into the present 925 Greenwich Street, bringing together all the previous elements of the business with his interests in the finer aspects of life; books, music, and art. In 2002, Abercrombie & Fitch bought the rights to the family's name.

The above story is completely fictional. There exist no building numbers past the 800s on Greenwich Street and there are no records of an established Ruehl family in the Village either. The background is not readily made available to customers, but it was created to help tie in all the elements of the RUEHL brand. The store structure consists of three walkways and the logo for the brand is the bulldog. The family's name "Ruehl" is in fact a variation of the German last name "Ruhl." Furthermore, the name "RUEHL No.925" signifies the title of an occupied residence (by the fictitious Ruehl family).

Development and opening

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The first prototype logo. It has been revised.

CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, has stated that RUEHL took years of planning, mainly for the stores atmosphere and image. Initially, the Company (A&F) was determined to keep the fourth concept veiled from public eyes. Not even retail landlords approached for space were told about the concept. John C. Shroder (COO of Westfield San Francisco Centre's U.S. operations) confessed that it was A&F's reputation which gave him the confidence to "sign up RUEHL sight-unseen." The then COO of Abercrombie & Fitch later asked him, "Will you help us prepare the space? But we can't tell you what it is."

RUEHL No.925 finally opened on September 24, 2004 with three locations. These were at Woodfield Mall (Illinois), Garden State Plaza (New Jersey), and the International Plaza (Florida). Designed to look and feel like Greenwich Village, RUEHL presented a new, "more sophisticated" lifestyle than other Abercrombie & Fitch brands. At the introduction and press tour of Garden State Plaza location, Jeffries noted that RUEHL is "the fantasy of what it's like to graduate from college and go to New York and make it. It's the New York fantasy." He also repeatedly referred to RUEHL as "the movie" because of its elaborate, flowing background. The store prototype of this time was a two-floor prototype measuring at 9,500 ft². Due to its structural form and size, locations capable of housing the prototype became hard to acquire.

Mike Jeffries did not launch an online store upon the opening of RUEHL. He wanted to attract customers to the stores to experience the RUEHL atmosphere. What was launched was an informative official page which gave store listings, previewed the private online policy, and allowed for email subscription to receive possible news on RUEHL. Original prices upon opening were roughly 30% higher than at Abercrombie & Fitch (e.g. destroyed blue jeans $148.00 USD). Many consumers deemed this as too high for young professionals who normally begin their careers at fair incomes.

Post-opening

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The original look of ruehl.com

In June 2005, writer Alex Kuczynski published an article for The New York Times about her experience in the store at Garden State Plaza. She described the facade as "something provocative and different," and compared the store greeter to a "nightclub bouncer on the watch for good-looking customers." Kuczynski wrote that although RUEHL's image is engaging, "try as it might, the name just doesn't sound cool.". She also criticized the lighting techniques, saying that "people at that age [20's and 30's] aspiring to the heights that RUEHL appears to promote, would never deign to exert effort to find the right size, let alone spend 10 minutes squinting at a skirt to discern its color" and the dimness merely aids shoplifting. Nevertheless, she praised RUEHL merchandise as prized "reasonable" and "worth the time and the money."

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The advertisement for the launch of the online store. It features the Spring 2008 main model.

In early 2007, ruehl925.com became ruehl.com and was upgraded as an Adobe Flash Player page. Also, to accommodate expansion, a new store prototype was developed measuring at 7,200 ft². This new prototype encompasses of one sales level only, reducing construction costs and increasing opportunities to secure prime locations. A limited online store was finally launched on October 25, 2007. It sold fragrances and handbags in a limited quantity of styles. By the end of the year, in an effort to retain consumer basis, price points for RUEHL clothing were significantly lowered as so to create a minimal 10-15% difference between Abercrombie & Fitch and RUEHL No.925 clothing. A&F rose its jeans prices to make a $10 USD difference between its jeans and RUEHL's. January 30, 2008 marked the launch of the full online store.

Marketing and its resulting performance

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RUEHL's advertising campaign

RUEHL marketing photography has a blue color scheme and is more sophisticated than Abercrombie & Fitch. Noticeably, some imagery uses angles of Greenwich Village as a backdrop. Jeffries has made it clear that sex in marketing is a continual importance in RUEHL advertising. For that reason, Bruce Weber shoots all campaigns. He is most noted for his provocative, and sexual, beefcake, work with Calvin Klein underwear and A&F. Photography from RUEHL's early days evolved from sepia and dark green color schemes before settling on blue. High-profile models have appeared in RUEHL marketing campaigns, including Miranda Kerr and Kim Stolz.

RUEHL is marketed with the address:
RUEHL
No.925
Greenwich St.
New York, NY.

RUEHL No.925

The brand has used the appropriate slogan, "Visit us in the Village." Its main marketing logo "RUEHL, No.925, Greenwich Street, New York" has been revised and replaced with "RUEHL, No.925 Greenwich St, New York, NY". It mimics as an actual address. And unlike other A&F brands which rely on and owe their success to walking self-marketing in schools, RUEHL must follow more rigid advertisement techniques to make itself more known to the public.

Marketing techniques used on RUEHL have not benefited revenue expectations for the brand. The average RNY store generated sales of over $3.2 million USD in 2006. In comparison to Hollister's outstanding popularity and sales by 2004 (four years after its opening), revenue from RUEHL by 2008 has not been satisfying. Giving R925 more of a resemblance to the A&F style (noticeable on Hollister), but maintaining flare, is a marketing move being practiced to increase figures (by attracting same-company customers). Potted palm trees (found in A&F/HCO stores) have been added instore. The "RUEHL No.925" name is stamped and embroidered more noticeably. Recently reduced price points will also make it easier for same-company customers to enter the RUEHL market, and the new store prototype will gain faster expansion than before. Even production rollouts have been made similar to its sister brands. A&F hopes that RUEHL will eventually grow as a strong, popular, post-collegiate brand: similar to A&F with collegiate and Hollister with high-schoolers.

RUEHL branding and merchandise

Trubble

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A RUEHL No.925 men's polo featuring Trubble as the logo.

The official logo for RUEHL No.925 is the French bulldog Trubble. He is the little "inquisitive" bulldog with a "steadfast demeanor" and "confident attitude" who walked into the Ruehl family shop in the mid-1850s - so states the fictional background to RUEHL. He was, as the fake literature continues, the family's first customer (to their surprise and delight). Subsequently, Trubble became the logo for the brand.

His name, "Trubble", is a play on the word "trouble." It signifies the trouble that Mike Jeffries and his development team underwent to create an appealing logo for RUEHL. Before deciding on Trubble, the company experimented with different designs on RNY polos. The logos included: "R925"; an artistically cursive "R"; and "RUEHL No.925". The bulldog from the RUEHL background was finally selected and christened "Trubble" - a sort of counterpart to the Abercrombie moose and flying Hollister Co. seagull. Trubble is today embroidered on Polos and silk-screened on other merchandise. Trubble also occasionally has a series of tees dedicated to his iconic image. RUEHL released the marketing slogan "Get into Trubble at RUEHL" in August 2008.

Merchandise

Merchandise cycles in stores weekly and there are four main seasonal clothing rollouts. These are the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Christmas seasons. In efforts to entice consumers, books, newspapers, and fresh flowers are also on sale. Merchandise is made only available in RUEHL stores and at ruehl.com.

Apparel

RUEHL No.925 clothing is more sophisticated than of what is expected at college-inspired Abercrombie & Fitch. It has been described as "edgier versions of Polo Ralph Lauren and J. Crew". Some RUEHL fashions could very well be "office-appropriate". Mike Jeffries however calls RUEHL "100% casual." The price points at RUEHL are the highest in the family of Abercrombie & Fitch brands. This fact remains even after the drop in original price points. Now nicknamed "A&F + $10" by original customers, there lingers a feel that the brand has been degraded from its high-end image (by the drop in prices).

Clothing articles encompasses of tops, bottoms, swim wear, accessories, and underwear (men's only). Lace-and-velvet trimmed Lingerie and sleepwear were also previously offered to women (discontinued because of the Gilly Hicks brand). Materials used for RUEHL apparel are much more higher-grade (using heavier denim, cashmere for sweaters, and embossed leather) than in other A&F brands. Overall, Jeffries wants RUEHL to be positioned as a "jeans expert", with RNY jeans dominating the assortment of apparel. Inside all women's jeans, and now men's jeans, is the embroidery: Ruehl New York 10014 (the New York City zip code).

Fragrance and leather goods

For its fragrance collection, R925 carries Signature (cologne/perfume), R-7 cologne, and R-4 perfume. "Signature" is the representing scent of the brand, and is sprayed at intervals throughout the day in-store.

RNY became the first in the chain of Abercrombie & Fitch brands to produce a genuine leather goods line for both men and women. Because of low purchasing rates, however, the men's leather goods were discontinued (e.g. wallets and messenger bags). Women's bags, however, remain quite popular. Purse prices are at level with Coach prices for competition. However, some RUEHL purses have reached the amount of $898 USD. Celebrity patrons of RUEHL who enjoy the bags include Ali Larter, Katherine Heigl, Minka Kelly, and Vanessa Ann Hudgens. A favorite of theirs became "Anabelle," a white leather clutch which "...is everything that this season's It bag wants to be."

RUEHL Books

RUEHL No.925, in collaboration with its photographer Bruce Weber, produces what are called "RUEHL books." These are photography books. They encompass of photography inspired by the artistic and cultural heritage of Greenwich Village. The publications are similar to A&F Quarterly, a racy magalog also produced by Weber.

Of the books include Swingin' with RUEHL which portrays post-collegiates enjoying and playing jazz. A collection which has since succeeded Swingin' with RUEHL is RUEHL by Bruce Weber: The Improper Bohemians. The title reminiscences of when the Village was home to low-paid bohemian artists. In spite of the title, photography inside does not portray bohemians. It includes sophisticated modeling in a Village backdrop. The latest is Volume Four, which is currently on sale.

Stores

Design

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The entrance of No.925

A typical RUEHL No.925 is structured as three, two-floored brownstones. Artificial windows contain flower boxes, and a black awning on the 3rd facade reads "RUEHL." Surrounding the facades are wrought iron fences.. Resembling a home off of Greenwich Street, concrete walkways line in front of the store, leading to the three entrances. Inside, the store is walled off into about more than ten rooms. Entering the main entrance, there is a large corridor which divides the men and women departments. The flooring is of dark wood. At the end of the hallway, there is a divan surrounded with books and modern art. Art and marketing photography are displayed as if in an art gallery. Merchandise is found on actual bookshelves and tables. Numerous bookshelves contain copies of actual antique books for sale, such as by authors Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning The merchandise highlighted with spot lighting and lamps. Located in the back corner of the store is the cashwrap, also known as the Garage, and is designed to have brick walls, dim/flickering lighting, and windows to represent the outside using intelligent lighting techniques. CDs are available for purchase upon request and some stores are known to have a burning fireplace.

Unlike its sister stores, RUEHL offers an incontrovertibly complete unique experience. The instore elements establish a juxtaposition of upscale modern originality with aspects of the unique cultural and artistic past of Greenwich Village. A past home to bohemian artists, the Village is now a center for expensive real estate - hence the upscale RUEHL vibe. The music mixed for the brand attempts to employ soft modern lounge/Downtempo tunes with jazzy beats to personify the jazz-influenced musical heritage of the Village. The modern art displayed instore is nostalgic to modern artists living in the early-20th century Village. The dim lighting projects an upscale image in the retail world, and so does the lingering opulent scent of Signature. In A&F's words, "The classic décor and opulent ambience create a luxurious lifestyle inside this romantically lit West Village brownstone."

RUEHL store policy prohibits public photography of the store's exterior facade. At least one RUEHL store, The Domain Mall, is known to employ staff to stand at the door to enforce inhibit photographers from gaining entrance. Such enforcement is objectionable because photography of a building in or visible from a public place does not constitute copyright infringement under United States copyright law:

The copyright in an architectural work that has been constructed does not include the right to prevent the making, distributing, or public display of pictures, paintings, photographs, or other pictorial representations of the work, if the building in which the work is embodied is located in or ordinarily visible from a public place. 17 U.S.C. § 120(a). -- www.law.cornell.edu

Customer and expert reaction

Due to numerous factors, many customers do not even recognize RUEHL as an Abercrombie & Fitch brand. Kevin Ramstack (division manager of the Garden State Plaza store) revealed that new customers become overwhelmed over the number of rooms, "At first, they're shocked." The lack of typical mall windows also mislead shoppers' view of the brand. A 50-year-old-man (interviewed by the New York Times) who walked into a RUEHL brownstone found himself in what he called "the wrong place" among "skimply dressed teenagers and stacks of tee-shirts that read Friday is casual sex day ." He later confessed that the problem was "you really had to guess what it was until you got in." Quite on the contrary, a 17-year-old and her friend stated that they enjoyed the experience of the brand and that "instead of being in the middle of New Jersey, we are on a street in New York, and that is where we want to be anyway -- living in New York City."

Many retail executives disagree with the idea of no mall windows. Some agree that stores similar to RUEHL (like Martin + Osa) with original and provocative storefronts attract curiosity to themselves against other mall merchants, and, thus, aid themselves economically. However, others contradict by stating that brands with storefronts as such are merely "shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to new customers who are so critical to a brand's success." However, with concern to RUEHL, Andrew McQuilkin (vice president of design at FRCH Design Worldwide) settles that "they [the storefronts] are sending a message early in the conversation [between consumer and store] that says you belong or you don't belong...The 17-year-old who wants to live in New York belongs. The 50-year-old suburban dad does not." Also, Kurt Barnard (president of Barnards Retail Consulting Group) stated that "the risk-taking behind RUEHL is not only a smart idea, it totally falls in line with the massive transformation of retail. Newness is needed. Abercrombie may have a hit upon a way to hold onto existing customers as they exit their teens."

Current stores

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The "coming soon" marketing for the store in Freehold Raceway Mall.

Most stores are located in upscale malls across the country, making itself more available to potential high-income shoppers rather than improbable moderate shoppers. RUEHL operates twenty-four mall stores and one accessories store. The mall stores take up the store prototypes set up by corporate. The 600 ft² accessories store is different, however, in that it only sells the handcrafted leather merchandise and is meant as a Brick and mortar business. It is located in West Village, New York City, New York at 370 Bleecker Street (on Bleecker between Charles and Perry).

Mall stores follow in order of state.

Canoga Park, California / Topanga Plaza San Diego, California / Fashion Valley Mall San Francisco, California / Westfield San Francisco Centre Glendale, California / Americana at Brand Aventura, Florida / Aventura Mall Tampa, Florida / International Plaza and Bay Street Honolulu, Hawaii / Ala Moana Center Oak Brook, Illinois / Oakbrook Center Schaumburg, Illinois / Woodfield Mall Annapolis, Maryland / Annapolis Mall Burlington, Massachusetts / Burlington Mall Natick, Massachusetts / Natick Collection Novi, Michigan / Twelve Oaks Mall Bloomington, Minnesota / Mall of America Las Vegas, Nevada / Fashion Show Mall Freehold, New Jersey / Freehold Raceway Mall

Paramus, New Jersey / Garden State Plaza Garden City, New York / Roosevelt Field Mall Lake Grove, New York / Smith Haven Mall New York, New York / Bleecker Street Columbus, Ohio / Easton Town Center Tigard, Oregon / Washington Square Mall Austin, Texas / The Domain Dallas, Texas / Galleria Dallas McLean, Virginia / Tysons Corner Center

Future openings

The US potential for RUEHL stores is predicted by corporate to be 250. Mike Jeffires himself anticipates the possible number of up to 300 RUEHL No925 stores in the future. A&F corporate plans on unveiling six RUEHL locations throughout 2008. Soon to open locations are:

• Buffalo, New York / Walden Galleria
• Thousand Oaks, California / The Oaks
• San Antonio, Texas / The Shops at La Cantera