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Fictional background

According to Abercrombie & Fitch’s publicity material, RUEHL came to be as so:

In the 1850s, the German Ruehl family immigrated to West Village (a division of Greenwich Village). There, they moved into 925 Greenwich Street and opened up a leathergoods shop. Their first customer was a little “inquisitive” bulldog who walked in with a “steadfast demeanor” and a “confident attitude”. The shop then on became popular, providing the Ruehls with a decent living. The Ruehl’s son later moved next door into No.923 and took over the business. Being inspired by the fashion of James Dean and his work, he introduced RUEHL jeans. Afterwards, the grandson, moved into the present 925 Greenwich Street, bringing together all the previous elements of the business with his interests in the finer aspects of life; books, music, and art. In 2002, Abercrombie and Fitch bought the rights to the family’s name.

The above story is intentionally fictional. The background is not readily made available to customers, but was created to help tie in all the elements of the RUEHL brand. There exist no building numbers past the 800s on Greenwich Street and there are no records of an established Ruehl family in the Village either. There is nothing very German about the name, in the same sense that sister brand Gilly Hicks is not Australian, although both claim to have roots to those cultures. The store structure consists of three walkways and the logo for the brand is the bulldog. The family’s name “Ruehl” is in fact a variation of the German last name “Ruhl.” Furthermore, the name “RUEHL No.925″ signifies the title of an occupied residence (by the fictitious Ruehl family).

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Development

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 the fourth concept veiled from public eyes. 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. Encouraging studies revealed that 35-to-40-year-olds shop to look 25. The brand was privately unveiled to investors-only on “Investor Day” September 7, 2004. The presentation was at Garden State Plaza in New Jersey.[11] 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 also repeatedly referred to RUEHL as “the movie” because of its elaborate, flowing background.

Launch

RUEHL No.925 finally opened on September 24, 2004 with three locations. These were at Garden State Plaza (New Jersey), Woodfield Mall (Illinois), and the International Plaza (Florida). Designed to look and feel like Greenwich Village, RUEHL really 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). 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[6]). Many consumers deemed this as too high for young professionals who normally begin their careers at fair incomes.

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Post-opening

In June 2005, writer Alex Kuczynski published an article in The New York Times about her experience in the store at 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 the dimness may encourage shoplifting and 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.

The advertisement for the launch of the online store.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.[12] 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.