Hollister (fashion company)

Hollister Co.
legal form	Corporation
founding	2000
Seat	New Albany , Ohio , USA
management	Mareen Czekalla , CEO
Number of employees	23,000
sales	2.926 billion . USD (2015)
Branch	textiles
Website	www.hollisterco.com

The Hollister Co. is to Abercrombie & Fitch belonging fashion company, which after a Californian city is named. The company offers surfer-style fashion similar to the Abercrombie & Fitch collection.

history

In July 2000, the Easton Town Center in Columbus ( Ohio , the first shop opened). Initially, Hollister was only active in North America . The first European branch opened in London in 2008 . On December 10, 2009, the sales point opened in the MyZeil shopping center in Frankfurt . In Germany the company now operates more than 20 branches, including the newest branches in Munich-Moosach, Munich-Riem and Bremen Waterfront and Karlsruhe. Further new branches in Essen, Bochum and Cologne are planned for 2019. A branch will also open this autumn in the Forum Mittelrhein in Koblenz.

With the new branches in Munich-Riem and Bremen, Hollister has also brought back the sister brand Gilly Hicks as a “shop-in-shop” store. Further branches with Gilly Hicks integration are planned for 2019.

concept

Entrance area of the Neuss branch

A Hollister t-shirt

The branches are advertised in Germany, but Hollister’s corporate identity does not include any outdoor advertising for the branches or shop window decorations. The sales rooms are often poorly lit and look like “surf shops”. The target group are teenagers between the ages of 12 and 16. Employees should be distinguished by their attractive appearance. Hollister wants to be “the brand of the beautiful”. However, this practice is highly questionable.

criticism

Die Welt reported in two articles in December 2012 and January 2013 about poor working conditions in the German branches. Employees are monitored by cameras and body searches are carried out after work. In addition, the establishment of a works council in Frankfurt am Main is said to havebeen hindered and almost only temporary employment contracts are concluded. In April 2013,however, an agreement was reachedat the Kassel Labor Court that not all employees would be searched, but that on average every sixth employee was selected by chance.

In August 2013, an out-of-court agreement was reached with the works council of the Frankfurt branch that employees should no longer be accompanied to the toilet by security guards. "Damage to the toilet doors" was given by the management as the reason for the previous monitoring and accompaniment.

In addition, employees are said to be exposed to health hazards from loud music, dim lighting and low temperatures in the shops. In 2012, noise measurements were carried out in 350 shops in Austria. As in 2011, Hollister won the "Zwangsbeschaller", the award for the loudest shop. The volume level measured in the Salzburg branch was 99 dB , which corresponds to the noise of a chainsaw . Hollister refused, however, to accept the award given by the Catholic Church, the Austrian Trade Union Federation and the Linz initiative “Hörstadt”.