Shop Review: Hollister Co.

Where is it?

1^st Floor Arndale Centre

Manchester

M4 3AQ

History:

Hollister Co. (or ‘HCo.’ to the hipsters) is the casual beachwear spin-off from American lifestyle brand Abercrombie & Fitch. Its flagship store is in New York but the designers have embarked on conquering the UK in recent months, opening stores in Glasgow, London and Manchester.

The clothing was originally designed to attract consumers between the ages of 14–18, and whilst you could argue that the target market is slightly wider than that these days, this is still very much a teen brand in terms of style.

The shop layout is unconventional. Separate rooms spawn from a central hub containing the tills, comfortable chairs and magazines. The windows have been filled in with screens showing moving waves and it’s very dark. The place is lit more like a cocktail bar than a clothes shop.

They do the Abercrombe thing of hiring their sales assistants as models, which means they are beautiful and occasionally wear nothing but pants.

There’s plants everywhere, and admittedly rather pretty wallpaper. The exterior is equally as striking. Built to look like a luxurious beach hut, there are no clothes on display. It all initially looks more like the Trafford Centre food court than the Arndale centre.

What does it sell?

They call it beach vintage, but checked shirts, polos and hoodies are Hollister’s bread and butter. They’ve also got a soft spot for fur hoods and a good selection of jeans in the men’s range – or ‘dudes’ as they prefer to put it.

For ‘bettys’ the range is much more expansive. Out of the six separate areas, five are exclusively for women, although one looks like it could be for younger children – it’s difficult to tell in the dark.

Wide range of jeans, Hollister, Manchester Arndale

How much does it cost?

A standard tee will cost you between £20-£30 whilst shirts go for £44-£50. The hoodies are on the steep side starting at £50, and going all the way up to £180 if you want some fur draped around the hood.

The Fallowfield student look can be achieved for around £118 with classic straight sweatpants (£44), Alisa Creek polo (£38) and vintage ‘beach treads’ (£36).

Girl’s tops start at £20 and there’s a wide range of floral skirts starting at £44. They also do fragrance and body care products at reasonable prices compared to specialists. Oh, and there’s also a yoga range, for…doing yoga I presume.

Exotic shrubbery, Hollister, Manchester Arndale

Who shops there?

The location opposite Topshop and River Island helps pull in the same crowd as the high street heavyweights, but I can see this place being full of couples at the weekend. The men’s section is right at the front, allowing women to quickly pick out a nice ‘Pebbly Beach’ checked sleeveless puffer jacket for their boyfriends to try on whilst they get lost in the rest of the store. Eventually returning to find him sitting comfortably and quietly by the tills, thumbing through a lifestyle magazine and making small talk with all the other boyfriends.

Why shop there?

If you want the Abercrombe & Fitch look without the hefty price-tag, then there’s plenty of choice here, especially for girls.

Verdict

You’d be forgiven for expecting the Hollister shopping experience to be an intimidating one. They do the Abercrombe thing of hiring their sales assistants as models, which means they are beautiful and occasionally wear nothing but pants, for example.

However, the layout of the store, and the fact that it’s so dark and so loud (The Beach Boys were booming out of the speakers at an outrageous volume when I visited) makes you feel more concealed than you’d expect, leaving you to browse in peace.

Fans of The OC and other west coast American teen dramas are going to be all over this place, and so (albeit not through choice), are their boyfriends.

Follow David on Twitter @davidpmccourt