ABERCROMBIE & FITCH: AN UPSCALE SPORTING GOODS RETAILER BECOMES A LEADER IN TRENDY APPAREL
Company profile
Abercrombie & Fitch Co., a Delaware corporation, through its subsidiaries, is a specialty retailer that operates stores selling casual apparel; such as knit shirts, graphic t-shirts, jeans, woven shirts, shorts; personal care and other accessories for men, women and kids under the Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie, Hollister and RUEHL brands.
As of January 28, 2006, the Company operated 851 stores in the United States and Canada.
The Abercrombie & Fitch brand was established in 1892 and became well known as a supplier of rugged, high-quality outdoor gear. Famous for outfitting the safaris of Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway and the expeditions of Admiral Byrd to the North and South Poles, Abercrombie & Fitch goods were renowned for their durability and dependability.
In 1992, a new management team began repositioning Abercrombie & Fitch as a more fashion-oriented casual apparel business directed at 18 to 22 year-old male and female college students with a product assortment reflecting a youthful lifestyle based upon an East Coast heritage and Ivy League traditions.
In 1998, the Company launched Abercrombie, a brand directed at seven to 14 year-old boys and girls based on the traditions of Abercrombie & Fitch.
The Company launched its next brand, Hollister, in 2000. Hollister is a West Coast oriented lifestyle brand targeted at 14 to 18 year-old high school aged dudes and bettys that embodies the laid-back California surf lifestyle. Hollister offers casual apparel, personal care and other accessories at a lower price point than the Abercrombie & Fitch brand.
The RUEHL brand, ...