NEW YORK — Rugby is bringing its preppy clothes for the collegiate set to Greenwich, Conn., in November.
The store will open in a 4,500-square-foot space at 195 Greenwich Ave., joining neighbors such as J. Crew, Banana Republic, Gap, Wish List and Scoop in catering to youthful customers. In addition, Lucky Brand Dungarees and Vineyard Vines are under construction on the avenue.
Rugby, owned by Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., launched its first unit on Newbury Street in Boston in October 2004. It has seven freestanding stores throughout the U.S., primarily in college towns. Rugby opened its first non-college town unit last year in New Canaan, Conn., near Greenwich. The company will unveil another Rugby unit in Seattle in two weeks.
The company chose Greenwich because southern Connecticut is a logical fit for the brand and because Rugby has been successful in New Canaan, a Polo spokeswoman said.
In the last two years, Rugby stores have sprung up near college campuses in New York City, Charlottesville, Va., and Chapel Hill, N.C. The retailer launched last month in Washington’s Georgetown section and in Palo Alto, Calif. Stores in Dallas and Chicago are to open by yearend. Rugby expects to have 11 stores operating by the end of the year, with two more in the first four months of 2007. There are plans to roll out more Rugby stores, but an exact number hasn’t been determined, the spokeswoman said.
Polo Ralph Lauren had a store on Greenwich Avenue that closed several years ago. The space was taken over by Tiffany in 2000.
Ralph Lauren, chairman of Polo, originally conceived of Rugby to dress the young market in affordable and authentic clothing. “Our focus on building new brands such as Rugby and luxury accessories, expanding our retail, and extending our international business has proven to be the right investment for our company,” Lauren said last year.
Rugby stores, rigged with sporting motifs, feature denim, shirts, pants, shorts, sweaters, knits, sport coats, suitings and eveningwear targeted to an 18- to 25-year-old customer.