Posts Tagged Urban Outfitters
Why is London so expensive?
So what do you think?Is London too expensive?
After a trip to New York, srcg’s director Scott Annan is confused why the American city is so much cheaper than the English capital. And he wants answers quickly…
Scott Annan
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I got away from the recessionary gloom, the prices in our shops and the faux winter weather for a family wedding last week. New York City was the location, the sun shone and the retail experiences were great even at a reduced $1.90 to the pound. Thank you to Marks & Spencer for a great rate, no commission and delivering the dollars to my door. This isn’t just any currency, its … but enough of the ramble, what is the story? Patience please as we are off to the shops.
Being an Indian wedding, my daughter was given too many dollars from hundreds of ‘close’ relatives. This demanded a trip to Abercrombie & Fitch, American Apparel, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Takishimiya and Urban Outfitters. I dragged her to Whole Foods Columbus Circle and Dean & Deluca at 56th & Lexington. I want to share some stories that tie in price, customer service and our shopping experience.
Why are Abercrombie & Fitch clothes almost three-quarters cheaper than the price of the same items in the London store? The prices were similarly low in American Apparel and Urban Outfitters. The exchange rate traditionally covers ‘half’, the outlets visited are in prime rent locations and the staff hourly pay is higher. Perhaps if someone knows why they can leave a comment.
So onto Whole Foods Columbus Circle. If there is such a thing as a fun food store then this store is it! Sunday evening and it was packed with noisy shoppers buying groceries for home or ‘dining in’ from a huge choice of hot and cold dishes. We stood with pasta, sushi and craft ale (yes I am weird) in the check-out line with at least ten diners ahead of me, and was eating three minutes later. My fellow diners were engaging and smiley and one couple, the Lombardi’s with two teenagers, said they ate at Whole Foods two to three times a week. ‘Great quality and variety; fast and friendly service, and good prices’. They had spent around $22 (£10) and had too much food. The doggy bag duly arrived. Interestingly they did not shop in Abercrombie & Fitch as ‘it is too expensive’. What would they make of UK prices I asked myself?
1 comment September 16, 2008
Yet Another British Invasion
so be warned 
Things may be tough enough for a lot of American retail chains, but maybe that’s the best time for foreign invaders to strike. British retail sensation Topshop is invading our shores as we speak, having already launched a U.S. e-commerce website as it plans for its first U.S. store (in New York), which is set to debut in the next couple months.
There has been a lot of buzz about Topshop — owned by privately held Arcadia Group — prior to its official U.S. arrival. It’s a player in what’s known as the “fast fashion” category, which also includes Spain’s Zara, Sweden’s H&M (OTC BB: HMRZF.PK), as well as Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe (Nasdaq: CHIC).
These companies come out with high-fashion pieces with lightning speed, at low or medium price points. Shoppers often snap up the limited-quantity goods, and the quick turnover of items encourages them to stop in frequently. These retailers are adept at nimble turnaround and some choose to manufacture apparel close to home to save time to market. Talk about a wake-up call for less nimble fashion retailers across the board.
Topshop has a Kate Moss line to speak for it, too; the supermodel is a business partner with Topshop head Sir Philip Green. (Similarly, H&M has had collections linked to celebrities like Madonna and Stella McCartney.)
This wouldn’t be the first time a “British invasion” could be perceived as a competitive challenge for American retailers. Britain’s Tesco’s small-scale encroachment onto U.S. soil has been viewed as possibly significant for retailers as different from one another as Wal-Mart and Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI); both have experimented with small, nimble stores, possibly at least partly in response to Tesco’s entry.
A single U.S. store for Topshop — albeit in a U.S. fashion mecca — may not seem like a big deal in the retail landscape, but I think the website is, since many fashion-minded American women have probably been waiting eagerly for Topshop. This could prove a competitive challenge not only to similar retailers, but also to hip retailers like Urban Outfitters (Nasdaq: URBN), American Apparel (NYSE: APP), and Target (NYSE: TGT). (On the other end of the spectrum, maybe the landscape looks even more depressing for perennial strugglers like Gap (NYSE: GPS)).
Add comment September 12, 2008
US fashion brands chart new course abroad
good news for Europe 
U.S. fashion brands will open more stores abroad this year and next, encouraged by a wave of foreign shoppers that has buoyed profits at home.
With reinforced brand recognition, they may be in a better position than some rivals even if a stronger U.S. dollar, weakening European economy and rising air fares stem the flow of tourists to their home turf, investors and executives said.“If they don’t come (to the U.S.), maybe they’ll shop in the stores over in Europe,” said Daniel Coleman, chief investment officer of Edge Asset Management in Seattle, a unit of Principal Global Investors.U.S. brands with stores abroad, such as Tiffany & Co, Coach Inc, Polo Ralph Lauren Corp, Guess Inc and Urban Outfitters Inc, already tend to outperform competitors with only U.S. stores.“What I like about Tiffany is that they’re all over the world,” said Coleman, who has owned Tiffany shares in the Principal Mid-Cap Stock Fund he manages for about three years.As of Jan. 31, 2007, Tiffany was operating 70 U.S. stores and 114 internationally. It is planning to open 24 stores this year across the U.S., Asia-Pacific region and Europe.
Add comment August 22, 2008
George Bush hearts Urban Outfitters
See what i stumpled up on 
I didn`t knew much about urban outiftters before:
(picture via:orangecountyconcepts )
“The Urban Outfitters brand is a bastion of liberal freedoms. The products sold in its stores can be irreverent, quirky, and on the the cutting edge. This brand reputation is how they have distinguished themselves in the marketplace.
An interesting article from ThisIsMoney, suggests that there’s a gap between the liberal brand reputation which Urban Outfitters has established, and the conservative viewpoints of its corporate company.
“Urban Outfitters is a triumph of marketing – a hugely successful business that has disguised the gap between what it is and what its customers suppose it to be.”
From This is Money:
It seems unlikely that many of the staff or the customers know much about the owner and boss of Urban – a brilliant retailer called Richard Hayne whose views would be a serious risk to sales were his profile to rise.
Hayne started the business in the 1970s, taking it public in 1993 and bringing it to Britain in 1998. He is still the biggest shareholder and a seriously rich man – a billionaire by some estimates. You only have to look to see that there is nothing remotely hip about him. There is surely a bigger gulf between Hayne and his customer base than any other High Street retailer.
Shopping in Urban makes you feel like you are somewhere radically Left-wing, an antidote to the corporate blandness of The Gap. But Hayne is a stanch conservative who donates money to Republican politicians, not least Rick Santorum, a now failed Senator whose views on homosexuality are both bizarre and old-fashioned.
Hayne doesn’t give many interviews precisely because he’s afraid that college slackers who get to know him will suddenly realise that buying his clothes is like giving cash to George Bush.
7 comments July 26, 2008
