High profile US brand has announced it is coming to the Trafford Centre

Casual clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch has chosen Manchester as the location for its second UK store.

The retailer will be opening its first prototype store in the UK at the Trafford Centre this summer.

The new 5,554 sq. ft. Abercrombie & Fitch shop, is one of eight new prototype stores that have been completed since the initial launch of the new prototype in February 2017 and the second international location.

The new store, which has demonstrated improved customer engagement and productivity on a smaller footprint, was designed to encourage product trial while offering customers a new vision of the A&F brand.

The modernised space was designed with the best customer experience in mind.

The layout includes features such as innovative fitting rooms with amenities designed to enhance the customer’s experience, including separate controls for light and music, as well as a phone charging dock.

Select fitting rooms act as private suites to accommodate larger groups of friends and families.

And cash wraps will be placed throughout the store, enabling a quicker and more accessible checkout experience.

“Manchester is a young, vibrant and fashion-forward city, making intu Trafford Centre an ideal location for our second store and our first prototype in the UK,” said Stacia Andersen, brand president of Abercrombie & Fitch and Abercrombie kids.

“Our stores are an important gateway for us to engage with our customer, and their design is a key element of delivering a seamless, customer experience, across all our platforms.

“We’ve seen increased productivity with these new prototypes and we look forward to offering another engaging A&F experience to both new and existing customers in the Manchester area.”

Colin Flinn, regional managing director at Trafford Centre owner intu, said: “Our high footfall and ability to curate a shopping experience which encourages customers to stay for longer means intu centres are often the first point of call for high-calibre brands looking to expand their physical presence and reach more customers in new parts of the country.

“In this case, we’re working with Abercrombie & Fitch to create a second UK store and the first example of its new prototype in the UK.

“Abercrombie & Fitch will be at the heart of intu Trafford Centre where it will benefit from the high number of young, affluent shoppers visiting the centre for our exceptional retail and leisure mix.

“intu Trafford Centre will mark its 20th anniversary later this year and this is the latest in a long line of international and home-grown retailers who have come here to establish a new base outside London during that time.”

Abercrombie & Fitch will open as work gets underway on a £75 million transformation of the Trafford Centre’s Barton Square which will see 110,000 sq ft of extra retail space, a new glass-domed roof and a fully redesigned interior.

The new space will launch in 2019 with Primark already signed up as an anchor tenant.