Abercrombie & Fitch store in London: Details

OPENS MARCH 22nd 2007 CONFIRMED

Thanks to the (honestly) thousands of people that have viewed and the tens of people that have emailed or commented on this post. The wait is over.

MOST RECENT UPDATES AT THE END OF THIS POST (AND IN COMMENTS)

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An update on my Abercrombie & Fitch posting (currently the most popular posting on this blog) … A&F are set to take-over the Jil Sander store at Burlington Gardens in London with plans to open more stores across the UK.

At present it’s anticipated that these will be the only outlets – i.e. Not through wholesale agreements and in-store franchises. Presumably they still want the brand to keep a level of exclusivity in the UK.
10th November 2005 ... read about some problems they appear to have had with recruitment
The Burlington Gardens store was anticipated to open in 2006 if this letter regarding recruitment of London Abercrombie & Fitch staff is to be believed.

:: Update 25.November.2005
This post continues to draw traffic from Google and so I'm duty bound to update it. According to Kiplinger's Personal Finance the Abercrombie & Fitch London store is due to open in 2007. This information is repeated on PR Newswire. and seems to have stemmed from their official Q3 2005 fiscal annoucements.

Old Sources
There’s an article in Vogue, “The Fitch Pitch” And on Fashion United

Update 11.FEB 2006
Here's an application for planning permission to Westminster City Council to amend the current Jil Sander store in Burlington Gardens for the use of Abercrombie and Fitch. I don't know the status of this application however.

Update 24.MAR 2006
Another bit of detail on the applications for planning permission to Westminster City Council, there are a range of applications that have been submitted. This is the most recent one to change first floor use at 1 Old Burlington Street from class B1 (Offices) to class A1 (Retail) and perform interior refit. This was submitted on 17th February 2006 by their appointed architects, Househam Henderson. If anyone knows more about this, please let me know.

Update 05.SEP 2006

Michael Page posted this ad for a payroll manager at the new store. There are additional planning applications lodged with Westminster City Council too...

Update 13.NOV 2006

March 2007 is the most likely date for the opening of the Abercrombie & Fitch London store according to an email I received recently and this response on Yahoo Answers. If anyone from A&F wants to invite me to the opening for being the top blog search response for A&F london they can contact me here. Added the image of the hoarding from Bello on Flickr, thanks very much!