"It's not a purse. It's European!"
Posted on 02/09/2010 1:07:14 PM PST by Red Badger
Coach Inc. (COH) is opening its first men's-only store as the retailer moves to extend its reach beyond traditional female customers.
The store will be on trendy Bleecker Street in New York City's West Village, taking over space that was occupied by a Ruehl boutique that was closed as Abercrombie & Fitch Inc. (ANF) shuttered the concept last year.
Coach, known for its leather handbags and accessories for women, wants to explore "a broader men's opportunity for the brand globally," said Mike Tucci, Coach's president of North America retail. Coach is also opening a few men's shops in department stores in Japan.
The 550-square-foot shop, which is planned to open in May, will offer luxury business and travel accessories, small leather goods, footwear, outerwear, timepieces, sun wear, fragrances, and related accessories. The shop will give Coach shelf space it may desire as its department-store customers have been making sweeping inventory cuts.
Coach sees the stores "as labs where we compile an emerging men's collection and evolve our merchandising strategies," Tucci said.
Coach has a limited assortment of goods for men in its stores, which generally run about 2,500 square feet and mostly offer handbags and other fashion accessories to women.
Coach's "Legacy" store, which carries higher-end, limited-edition products from the Coach brand, is next to the men's-store site. The positioning keeps with Bleecker Street outlets including Marc Jacobs, Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (RL) and James Perse, which all have more than one location in the area.
The men's store, currently covered up, will carry Coach's silver-leaf logo and custom detailing as well as have mahogany awnings with white trim. The interior will have natural wood flooring, industrial-inspired furnishings, custom pendant lighting and leather seating, Coach said.
Coach didn't disclose how much it was spending on the rehab.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Well they’re in the right neighborhood.
Alright! So they sell chainsaws and nascar spit cups and Biguns magazines?
Dont tell me its a fancy-man store. Hell, that might as well be bed-bath-&-beyond.
(...although I have seen some men go in there... some willingly...)
"It's not a purse. It's European!"
One of his customers wondered how he sold so many at high prices when he couldn't make anything larger than a small wallet.
Said the Rabbi, it is a very special wallet. You rub it and it grows into a briefcase.
“It’s not a purse, it’s a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one.”
If I could afford their shoes, duffel bags, or watches I would buy them in a second. I'll have to check the store out when it opens. 550 sq. ft. ain't all that big though.
I thing they call them “man bags” now................
Real men shop at Cabella’s for clothes and accessories.
They apparently don’t expect a lot of “men” in there.............
Coach has some great men’s wallets. Scarves too.
Leather planners, etc. are great men’s accessories.
Hard to figure all the negative comments here. Sounds ignorant.
My daughter bought a Dooney & Burke purse that had DB all over it. I told her what the DB really stood for. She gave it away...............
My wife has Coach stuff, my daughters have Coach stuff, even my dogs have Coach collars and leashes.
Me...not so much.
i’d advise you stay away, it’s likely to be my kind of store :)
You are fashion challenged?..............
They call them a “Europeon Man” hand bag now.
Not the best. (although it is a good alternative)
99% of the clothes I own come from Tractor Supply.
The other one percent came from cabellas.
its a satchel
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