Hollister’s Stance on Israel: Consumer Boycotts, Activism, and Corporate Neutrality

No hard evidence exists that the apparel firm of Hollister officially supports Israel in the Israel-Palestine war. Hollister does not appear in any of the public documents or boycott lists that list businesses to support or engage in Israel. However, keep in mind that the clothing firm itself has nothing to do with the city of Hollister (not the brand) calling for a truce in the Israel-Gaza war. Although the apparel brand Hollister has not been directly linked to these accusations, certain activist groups have accused a corporation called “Hollister” or related entities of being involved in military supply.

History of Hollister

The first Hollister store was opened in Columbus, the Easton Town Center, on July 27, 2000.  Subsequently, four other test stores were established at Paramus, New Jersey; Overland Park, Kansas; Buford, Georgia; and Canoga Park, California. Although the Hollister Co. was founded in 2000, Abercrombie and Fitch has created a legend about its founder. John Hollister, Sr., left the city of New York and traveled to the Dutch East Indies, and after coming back to the United States in 1922, he started the business that is named after him when he moved to California. In mid-January 2006, the company entered the Canadian market when Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister Co. opened their stores in Toronto, Ontario. 

In order to play live feeds from Surf City, Huntington Beach, California, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. invested over US$10 million beginning in the summer of 2007 to erect video walls at Hollister Co. stores across the country. For the cameras on the Huntington Beach Pier, Hollister reimburses the city of Huntington Beach. The first Hollister Co. store outside of North America opened its doors in Brent Cross, London, on October 25, 2008. Hollister Co. launched its second location in the UK at Westfield, London, in December 2008, and its third location at the upscale Bluewater shopping center in Kent, UK. Since the UK HCo outlets in London were successful, on May 14, 2009, the first store outside of London was opened by Hollister within the WestQuay Shopping Center of Southampton. It has five outlets in the UK, the latest one being in Milton Keynes, which was opened at the beginning of 2010.

Why brand stances on Israel matter?

Customers are also being urged to avoid buying products of companies such as Starbucks and McDonald’s online as well as offline, since they are perceived to be sponsoring the current military campaign waged by Israel in Gaza that has already killed at least 28,000 Palestinians in the process. The boycotts pay tribute to the greater Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, led by Palestinians, to put pressure on the world to force Israel to leave the Palestinian land. The most noticeable international companies that have been affected by the conflict in Gaza between Israel and