Abercrombie & Kent opens shop

Luxury holiday company Abercrombie & Kent is opening a retail space in London department store Harrods, designed by GP Studio.

The London-based design consultancy was appointed last week. The shop, Abercrombie & Kent’s first retail concession, is set to open in mid-November.

According to GP Studio managing director Gregor Jackson, three other consultancies were approached before it was offered the contract following a credentials presentation.

‘This is Abercrombie & Kent’s first project in bricks and mortar,’ Jackson confirmed. ‘The concept for this brand was to look at the luxury, high end of the market – extreme adventures and holidays.’

The design of the shop is still being discussed, according to Jackson. ‘We’ve now generated stage one, the concept design and brainstormed the requirements,’ he says. ‘We’re going to be creating an environment to discuss tailor-made holiday plans.’

Luxury yachts will inspire the initial direction. ‘We’ll be using timber decking to make this connection. Until now, the brand has only been seen through photography on the website,’ Jackson says.

There are plans to expand the design further, with the possibility of a small exhibition area and a tea or coffee bar.