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Wholesale Ruehl No.925
Ruehl No.925 (marketed as "RUEHL No.925"[4]), or simply Ruehl
(pronounced /?ru?l/, US dict: rōōl′), is a defunct upscale
American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The concept
was inspired by the artistic and cultural heritage of New York
City's Greenwich Village and was meant to attract post-graduate
individuals aged 22 through 35, retaining consumer basis past
collegiate consumers for the A&F company. Ruehl sold high-grade
casual apparel, leather goods, and lifestyle accessories through
its stores and web site ruehl.com.
Citing the economic environment, in June 2009, Abercrombie &
Fitch announced it would close all Ruehl locations by January
2010. A&F ceased processing Ruehl web orders on January 22, 2010
and, as of January 31, 2010, completed the closure of its Ruehl
branded stores and related direct-to-consumer operations.
A&F created a pseudohistory to give depth to the brand image,
tying together the elements of the Ruehl brand. The original
Abercrombie & Fitch publicity material presented on the brand's
opening day stated Ruehl as the legacy of the fictional "Ruehl"
German family which immigrated to Greenwich Village's West
Village in the mid-19th century. The patriarch opens a
leathergoods shop in No.921 on Greenwich Street (in actuality,
there are no numbers past 800 on the street). His son later
moves into No.923 and brings in denim inspired by James Dean. As
time passes, the third generation son moves into No.925 and
brings together the family business with an emphasis on "the
finer things in life." The fictitious story concludes with A&F
purchasing the business from the family in 2002.
By 2009, the story was reimagined in a presentation for Piper
Jaffray. The fictional roots of the business are established by
the Ruehl "great-grandfather" in a mid-19th century Germany
prior to the immigration (which does not occur until 1900 with
the "grandfather"). Then, the business goes on to "[solidify]
its craft of fine apparel goods" in the Village. In the fantasy,
the business is still run by the "father" and "25 year-old son"
as "the world class purveyor of casual, fine leather goods and
designer denim."
The name "Ruehl" is a variation of the German last name "Ruhl."
CEO and Chairman of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, stated
that Ruehl took years of planning, mainly for the store's
atmosphere and image. From the start, the Company (A&F) was
determined to keep their new brand concept veiled from public
eyes.[11] Retail analysts viewed this as peculiar. Not even
retail landlords approached for space were told about the
concept. John C. Shroder (COO of Westfield San Francisco
Centre's U.S. operations) confessed that it was A&F's reputation
which gave him the confidence to "sign up Ruehl sight-unseen."
Despite the secretive nature, rumors circulated about a
"distinct departure" from the A&F style. It was evident that A&F
sought to maintain consumers past ages 18 through 22. The
concept was to venture out as more mature and sophisticated, all
the while keeping it youthful. The brand was privately unveiled
to investors-only on "Investor Day" September 7, 2004. The
presentation was at Westfield Garden State Plaza in New Jersey.
At the introduction and press tour of the Westfield Garden State
Plaza location, Jeffries noted that Ruehl is "the fantasy of
what it's like to graduate from college and go to New York and
make it. It's the New York fantasy." He repeatedly referred to
Ruehl as "the movie" because of its elaborate, flowing
background.
Ruehl No.925 finally opened on September 24, 2004 with three
locations. These were at Westfield Garden State Plaza (New
Jersey), Woodfield Mall (Illinois), and the International Plaza
(Florida). Designed to look and feel like Greenwich Village,
Ruehl presented a new, "more sophisticated" lifestyle than other
Abercrombie & Fitch brands. The store prototype of this time was
a two-floor prototype measuring at 9,500 sq ft (880 m2).[14] Due
to its structural form and size, locations capable of housing
the prototype became hard to acquire.
Mike Jeffries did not launch an online store upon the opening of
Ruehl. He wanted to attract customers to the stores to
experience the Ruehl atmosphere. What was launched was a
promotional website which gave store listings, previewed the
private online policy, and allowed for email subscription to
receive news on Ruehl.
Original prices upon opening were roughly 30% higher than at
Abercrombie & Fitch (e.g. destroyed blue jeans $148.00 USD[8]).
Many consumers deemed this as too high for young professionals
who normally begin their careers at fair incomes.
In June 2005, writer Alex Kuczynski published an article in The
New York Times about her experience in the store at Westfield
Garden State Plaza. She described the facade as "something
provocative and different," and compared the store greeter to a
"nightclub bouncer on the watch for good-looking customers."
Kuczynski wrote that the store name conjures up actress Mercedes
Ruehl and her hapless roles; "try as it might, the name just
doesn't sound cool." She also criticized the lighting
techniques, saying that "people at that age [20's and 30's]
aspiring to the heights of sangfroid that Ruehl appears to
promote would never deign to exert effort to find the right
size, let alone spend 10 minutes squinting at a skirt to discern
its color", a shame because "the clothing is worth the time and
the money." She said prices were "reasonable", giving as an
example $158 for the best-selling "destroyed" blue jeans.
In early 2007, RUEHL925.com became RUEHL.com and was upgraded as
an Adobe Flash Player page. Also, to accommodate expansion, a
new store prototype was developed measuring at 7,200 sq ft (670
m2). This new prototype encompasses one sales level only,
reducing construction costs and increasing opportunities to
secure prime locations. A limited online store was finally
launched on October 25, 2007. It sold fragrances and handbags in
a limited quantity of styles. By the end of the year, in an
effort to retain consumer basis, price points for Ruehl clothing
were significantly lowered as so to create a minimal 10-15%
difference between Abercrombie & Fitch and Ruehl No.925
clothing. A&F rose its jeans prices to make a $10 USD difference
between its jeans and Ruehl's. January 30, 2008 marked the
launch of the full online store.
On June 17, 2009, Abercrombie & Fitch announced it would close
all 29 Ruehl stores by the end of the fiscal year (January
2010).
Mike Jeffries, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., said:
It has been a difficult decision to close Ruehl, a brand we
continue to believe could have been successful in different
circumstances. However, given the current economic environment,
we believe it is in the best interests of the Company to focus
its efforts and resources on the growth opportunities afforded
by our other brands, particularly internationally. While I am
disappointed with the ultimate outcome, I am grateful for the
effort and commitment the Ruehl team has shown in developing and
positioning that brand in the marketplace. In particular, the
recent strides made in differentiating and elevating the Ruehl
assortment make this an especially difficult decision. However,
all of our brands will benefit from our experience and lessons
learned with Ruehl.
After closing the accessories store in September 2009, women's
handbags were allocated to the Abercrombie & Fitch New York
City, London, and Milan flagship stores. Ruehl store closings
began in October, while remaining stores were kept half-stocked
with merchandise for the Christmas 2009 fashion season.
Meanwhile, A&F's Ginza flagship carried a collection of leather
handbags upon opening on December 15.[16] By late-December, all
merchandise were marked on clearance for 50% off, all sales
final, in store and online. The final sale later rose to 60%,
and finally to 70% by mid-January 2010. A&F ceased processing
web orders on January 22 (nearly two years after its launch).
Ruehl.com now contains information on order tracking, customer
service, site use, privacy policies, and redirection to
abercrombie.com.
Ruehl marketing photography has a blue color scheme and is more
sophisticated than Abercrombie & Fitch. Noticeably, some imagery
uses angles of Greenwich Village as a backdrop. Jeffries made it
clear that sex in marketing was a continual importance in Ruehl
advertising. For that reason, Bruce Weber shot all campaigns. He
is most noted for his provocative and sexual, beefcake work with
Calvin Klein underwear and A&F. Photography from Ruehl's early
days evolved from sepia and dark green color schemes before
settling on blue. High-profile models have appeared in Ruehl
marketing campaigns, including Miranda Kerr and Kim Stolz.
The brand has used the appropriate slogan, "Visit us in the
Village." Its main marketing logo "Ruehl / No.925 / Greenwich
Street / New York" has been revised and replaced with "Ruehl /
No.925 / Greenwich St / New York, NY". It mimics as an actual
address.
Marketing techniques used on Ruehl have not benefited revenue
expectations for the brand. The average store generated sales of
over $3.2 million USD in 2006. In comparison to Hollister's
outstanding popularity and sales by 2004 (four years after its
opening), revenue from Ruehl by 2008 had not been satisfying.
Merchandise cycled in stores weekly and there were four main
seasonal clothing rollouts: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Christmas
seasons. In efforts to entice consumers, books, music,
newspapers, and fresh flowers were also on sale. Merchandise was
made only available in Ruehl stores and at ruehl.com.
The sophisticated Ezra Fitch Collection by Abercrombie & Fitch,
released in 2004 and discontinued in 2006, shared similarity to
Ruehl clothing.
Ruehl No.925 clothing was more sophisticated than of what is
expected at college-inspired Abercrombie & Fitch. It was
described as "edgier versions of Polo Ralph Lauren and J.Crew".
Some Ruehl fashions could very well be "office-appropriate".
Mike Jeffries however called Ruehl "100% casual." The price
points at Ruehl were the highest in the family of Abercrombie &
Fitch brands. This fact remained even after the drop in original
price points. Nicknamed "A&F + $10" by original customers, there
lingered a feel that the brand had been degraded from its high-
end image by the drop in prices.
Clothing articles included tops (tees, shirts), bottoms (jeans,
shorts), swim wear, accessories (flip flops, handbags), and
underwear (men's only). Lace-and-velvet trimmed Lingerie and
sleepwear were also previously offered to women (discontinued
because of the Gilly Hicks brand). Materials used for Ruehl
apparel were of a much higher-grade (using heavier denim,
cashmere for sweaters, and embossed leather) than in other A&F
brands. Overall, Jeffries wanted Ruehl to be positioned as a
"jeans expert", with RNY jeans dominating the assortment of
apparel. Inside all jeans was the embroidery: Ruehl New York
10014 (the New York City zip code).
For its fragrance collection, Ruehl carried Signature (both
cologne and perfume) and R-4 perfume and R-7 cologne. Signature
cologne was the representing scent of the brand and was sprayed
at intervals throughout the day in-store. R-4 perfume and R-7
cologne were dropped from retail October 2009.
Ruehl became the first in the chain of Abercrombie & Fitch
brands to produce a genuine leather goods line for both men and
women. Because of low purchasing rates, men's leather goods were
discontinued (e.g. wallets and messenger bags). Women's bags,
however, remained quite popular. Purse prices were at level with
Coach prices for competition.
Ruehl No.925, in collaboration with its photographer Bruce
Weber, produced what are called "Ruehl books." These are limited
edition photography books. They encompass of photography
inspired by the artistic and cultural heritage of Greenwich
Village. The publications are similar to A&F Quarterly, a racy
magalog also produced by Weber.
The floor layout
A typical Ruehl No.925 was structured as three, two-floored or
single floored brownstones. Artificial windows contained flower
boxes, and a black awning on the 3rd facade read "RUEHL."
Surrounding the facades were wrought iron fences. Resembling a
home off of Greenwich Street, concrete walkways lined in front
of the store, leading to the two entrances. Inside, the store
was walled off into about more than ten rooms. Entering the main
entrance, one entered the leather shop which contained high
shelves of leather hand bags before treading down a large
corridor, the gallery, which divided the men and women
departments. The flooring was of dark wood. To emphasize a
Greenwich home, the women's side of the store contained the
rooms of a normal home. This included a family room surrounded
by couches and chairs with Ruehl merchandise displayed. There
was also a dimly-lit bedroom which could be led to the back of
the women's side of the store containing one more room known as
the mud room. The mud room was filled with women's apparel with
a crystal chandelier hanging low from the ceiling. The men's
side of the store contained a large room holding Ruehl denim
across the wall. This room was located on the first floor and
could be overseen from a bedroom containing a balcony. The men's
side of the store had the secondary rooms of a Greenwich home.
Men's merchandise were located in three bedrooms and overflowed
into the Garage. At the end of the hallway separating the
women's and men's side, was a divan surrounded with books and
modern art - the room was known as the conservatory. Art and
marketing photography were displayed as if in an art gallery.
Merchandise was found on actual bookshelves and tables and
highlighted with spot lighting and lamps. Located in the back
corner of the store was the cashwrap, also known as the Garage,
and was designed to have brick walls, dim/flickering lighting,
and windows to represent the outside using intelligent lighting
techniques. CDs were available for purchase and some stores had
a burning fireplace.
The atmosphere
The atmosphere was to make the shopper feel in a unique place, a
"private home." The music mixed for the brand attempted to
employ soft modern house/lounge/downtempo tunes with jazzy beats
to personify the jazz-influenced musical heritage of the
Village. The modern art displayed instore was nostalgic to
modern artists living in the early-20th century Village. The dim
lighting projected an upscale image, and so did the lingering
opulent scent of Signature. In A&F's words, "The classic décor
and opulent ambience create a luxurious lifestyle inside this
romantically lit West Village brownstone."
Kevin Ramstack (division manager of the Westfield Garden State
Plaza store) revealed that new customers became overwhelmed over
the number of rooms, "At first, they're shocked." The lack of
typical mall windows also mislead shoppers' view of the brand. A
50-year-old-man (interviewed by the New York Times) who walked
into a Ruehl brownstone found himself in what he called "the
wrong place" among "skimply dressed teenagers and stacks of tee
-shirts that read Friday is a casual sex day ." He later
confessed that the problem was "you really had to guess what it
was until you got in." Quite on the contrary, a 17-year-old and
her friend stated that they enjoyed the experience of the brand
and that "instead of being in the middle of New Jersey, we are
on a street in New York, and that is where we want to be anyway
-- living in New York City."
Many retail executives disagree with the idea of no mall
windows. Some agree that stores similar to Ruehl (like Martin +
Osa) with original and provocative storefronts attract curiosity
to themselves against other mall merchants, and, thus, aid
themselves economically. However, others contradict by stating
that brands with storefronts as such are merely "shooting
themselves in the foot when it comes to new customers who are so
critical to a brand's success." However, with concern to Ruehl,
Andrew McQuilkin (vice president of design at FRCH Design
Worldwide) settles that "they [the storefronts] are sending a
message early in the conversation [between consumer and store]
that says you belong or you don't belong...The 17-year-old who
wants to live in New York belongs. The 50-year-old suburban dad
does not." Also, Kurt Barnard (president of Barnards Retail
Consulting Group) stated that "the risk-taking behind Ruehl is
not only a smart idea, it totally falls in line with the massive
transformation of retail. Newness is needed. Abercrombie may
have a hit upon a way to hold onto existing customers as they
exit their teens."
Ruehl operated twenty-nine mall stores, one accessories store,
and one outlet store. Locations included California, Florida,
Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia.
Mall locations took up store prototypes set up by corporate. The
600 sq ft (56 m2) accessories store was different, however, in
that it only sold accessories, including handcrafted leather
merchandise. It was located in West Village, New York City, New
York at 370 Bleecker Street (on Bleecker between Charles and
Perry).
Levi Strauss & Co. filed a lawsuit against Abercrombie & Fitch
in July 2007 for trademark infringement, alleging that Ruehl
jeans and other products used Levi's trademarked pocket design
of connected arches. A similar suit was filed against Polo Ralph
Lauren.
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