Hollister Launches a New Strategy to Revive the Gilly Hicks Brand

Clothing manufacturer Hollister Co. is trying to revive the old brand Gilly Hicks, using the strategy of startups.

The company announced the opening of four pop-up stores for its former lingerie brand Gilly Hicks. The modernized lingerie and bra line is an attempt by the retailer to target a younger demographic group, as well as an experiment with store formats that many startups are eager to use.

The Gilly Hicks brand first appeared in 2008. Marketers have tried to come up with a story for him that this brand appeared at the beginning of the century (by the way, the company Hollister also exploits the romantic images). However, no advertising campaigns have helped. And five years later, all two dozen shops Gilly Hicks, decorated in the style of colonial estates, were closed. Abercrombie & Fitch, the parent company of Hollister Co. Sales of lingerie, even if not particularly outstanding, continued online.

In 2015, the Gilly Hicks brand was taken over by Hollister. Under the new leadership, the brand’s business went better. We cannot say that it can compete with companies like Victoria’s Secret or Aerie, but still, in 2019, Gilly Hicks feels much better than in 2013. They even say that Abercrombie & Fitch wants to retake the brand.

In the meantime, the management of Hollister Co. is doing everything possible to make the brand as famous as possible. For example, new experiments with small store formats are being carried out to attract new customers and also to avoid the costs of expensive large-scale real estate and costly long-term rentals.