Abercrombie & Fitch was founded in New York by David Abercrombie in 1892.  When the company first started out the business sold hunting, camping, and fishing gear.  Ezra Fitch, who was a loyal customer at that time, had wanted Abercrombie to be his business partner.


 


In 1900 Abercrombie decided to sell his share of the business to Ezra Fitch.  The business did well and evolved into a sporty clothing outlet.  There was a conflict of goals, with Ezra Fitch wanting to push to a broader market and Abercrombie wanted to retain the market he currently had, the outdoor goods.  The partnership was short-lived because by 1907 Abercrombie had quit because of conflict of his and Fitch’s different views of the company’s future.  The company evolved into a sporty clothing outlet as time passed.


 


In the year 1977 the company went bankrupt.  The Limited acquired Abercrombie in 1988 which then focused on sports and casual wear for youth.


 


Abercrombie & Fitch became an independent company in May 1998.  Shortly after their independence they began publishing a quarterly catalog, which contained suggestive, erotic, and nude content.  This began the trend of the straight female and gay male market, which made the Abercrombie & Fitch brand more popular.  They increased the photos of young women, which also then became popular among the straight male market.


 


So now, Abercrombie & Fitch thrives as a lifestyle brand with hundreds of stores catering especially to college students.


 


Supply Chain Analysis


Product Analysis


Abercrombie and Fitch Brand


            The Abercrombie & Fitch brand assures its customers of a lifestyle, the all-American dream; an exclusive club to join.


Design


Manufacturing


Product Development


Buying Process


Merchandising


            Abercrombie & Fitch positions itself as a lifestyle brand. Customers are not only attracted by the products that the company sell but also by the different factors that add to the overall Abercrombie & Fitch brand. One thing that sets Abercrombie & Fitch from other clothing manufacturers and retailers is the design of its stores. The stores’ architecture can be described as classic and at the same time contemporary. The exterior of the store gleams, pristine white, while the faint glimmer of atmospheric lighting form the interior entices one in.


Sourcing


            Abercrombie & Fitch is a retailer engaged in selling casual apparel, personal care and other accessories for men, women and children under the Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie, Hollister and RUEHL brands. The company operates 990 stores in the US, the District of Columbia, Canada and the UK. Abercrombie & Fitch has adopted a global sourcing strategy that includes relationship with vendors in 37 countries and the US. A&F has two distribution centers in Ohio. The company sources its merchandise from approximately 258 factories and suppliers, primarily in Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. Abercrombie & Fitch recorded strong growth in revenues in fiscal 2007. Its revenues grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28% for the period 2005-2007. A&F’s strong financial performance gives stability to its operations.


Marketing


            Abercrombie & Fitch is most notorious for its marketing strategy. The company, since it restructured have been actively marketing its products by using advertisement campaigns that specifically targets the youth (college students) through sexy models.


            Abercrombie & Fitch is a popular clothing brand in the United States that is also famous for its use of sex appeal to sell its products. In 1993 Abercrombie and Fitch had thirty-six stores and million in revenue.


 


Retail


Human Resources Management


 


 


 


 


 


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 – and Abercrombie & Fitch placed a premium on


complete customer satisfaction with each item sold. In 1992, a new management


team began repositioning Abercrombie & Fitch as a more fashion-oriented casual


apparel business directed at men and women with a youthful lifestyle, targeted


at 18 to 22 year-old college students. In reestablishing the Abercrombie & Fitch


brand, the Company combined its historical image for quality with a new emphasis


on casual American style and youthfulness.


 


 


In 1997, the Company introduced the A&F Quarterly (a catalogue/magazine), which


was a lifestyle magazine focused on the college experience, and subsequently


added a catalogue format. The A&F Quarterly has been discontinued and the


Company is re-evaluating its advertising strategy. The Company launched a


web-based store featuring lifestyle pieces, such as AFTV, located at its Web


site, , in 1998. Products comparable to those carried at


Abercrombie & Fitch stores can also be purchased through its Web site.


 


 


The Company launched abercrombie, which targets 7 to 14 year-old boys and girls,


in 1998. These stores offer fashion-oriented casual apparel in the tradition of


Abercrombie & Fitch style and quality. A lifestyle web-based store located at


 (this uniform resource locator, or URL, is an inactive


textual reference only and is not intended to incorporate the Web site into this


Annual Report on Form 10-K) was introduced in 2000, where products comparable to


those carried at abercrombie stores can be purchased on-line.


 


 


The Hollister brand was launched in 2000. Hollister is a West Coast oriented


lifestyle brand targeted at 14 to 17-year-old high school guys and girls, at


lower price points than Abercrombie & Fitch. Hollister has established a


lifestyle  (this uniform resource locator, or


URL, is an inactive textual reference only and is not intended to incorporate


the Web site into this Annual Report on Form 10-K) and since back-to-school


2003, products comparable to those carried at Hollister stores can be purchased


on-line.


 



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