Abercrombie & Fitch Wins Central District Space For Brand’s Hong Kong Debut
The Pedder Building, where Abercrombie & Fitch will debut in Hong Kong
The retail market in Hong Kong continues to boom, and since space is a precious commodity in the notoriously jam-packed city, a real estate battle recently broke out between Hong Kong’s very own Shanghai Tang and the American casualwear brand Abercrombie & Fitch. After the dust settled, Abercrombie & Fitch emerged victorious, though rent for the location — smack dab in the middle of the city’s Central district — rose 250 percent, to HK$7 million (US$900,000) per month.
From Sing Tao Daily (Translation by Jing Daily team):
Considering Abercrombie & Fitch’s popularity in the China market (which has overlooked the brand’s notorious 2002 t-shirt controversy) despite its lack of a mainland China location, it is interesting that Sing Tao thinks the new Hong Kong location will “appeal to foreigners.” Most likely, upon the store’s opening we’ll see hordes of mainland tourist-shoppers jamming its 12,000+ square feet, looking to get their hands on flip-flops and Americana-lite sweatpants.