GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT

20th November 2017

Known for its leafy avenues. It’s also known for its wealth.

GREENWICH

ATTRACTION

By population, it’s the largest town on Connecticut’s famed Gold Coast, hosting numerous hedge funds and financial institutions. An acceptable 50-minute commute to Grand Central Station, more locals engaged in “the markets”, call Greenwich home.

Money magazine ranked Greenwich number 12 on its “100 best places to live in the United States”. It’s attractiveness to a luxury clothing brand like Rodd & Gunn is clear.

Still, “when one door closes, another opens”, literally in this case. Leaving the Richards building one Connecticut afternoon, Beagley spotted a “For Lease” sign directly across the road, took a punt and called the number.

LOCATION

While waiting for the agent to arrive, Beagley took in the scene. Apple, Tesla and of course Richards, all visible from the proposed site. If you’re a high-end menswear merchant looking for floorspace, this is a breath-taking view.

The vendor was enthusiastic, the signs where good, negotiations progressed at pace, and a deal struck.

At 306 m2, it is a significant premise for a single brand like Rodd & Gunn, but this will give the team scope to explore it’s New Zealand centric experiential retail approach. The Lodge concept is likely to draw immediate and enthusiastic attention from the locals - by any measure, Rodd & Gunn’s colonial New Zealand roots are about as far from Greenwich as could be imagined.

The demographic also seems ripe for the appeal of the New Suit concept. Greenwich’s people are well dressed but not necessarily tie wearers. The team is confident the season’s suit casualisation is timed perfectly for the Connecticut launch. If there’s one piece of customer feedback Beagley hopes to hear, post opening, it’s “Why aren’t you in Richards?