David Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch founded an excursion and sporting outfitter in New York in 1892. Abercrombie and Fitch is a US retailer that specializes in casual wear for young customers. The company has more than 400 outlets within the United States and is geographically expanding to Europe and Asia as well. The company went through many ups and downs as it filed bankruptcy in 1977 and had closed Manhattan flagship outlet. The image of company was strongly promoted after opening a store as a concept of luxury lifestyle in 2005. It gave strong competition to Prada and many other upscale retail stores. Such a promotion helped A & F to become an elite outfitter to grasp maximum of international high end locations and customers.
Portfolio and Brands
A & F holds a portfolio of three main divisions that are referred to as subsidiaries of the company. They are:
- Men
- Women
- Kids
Likewise the brands are established for each subsidiary that is briefly discussed as follows:
- Abercrombie Kids
- Hollister Co.
- Gilly Hicks
- Ruehl No. 925
Classic Cool is a theme for prep school designed especially for kids of age between 7 and 14. This is kids’ version by A & F (A & F Kids).
SoCal is a theme for teenaged consumers with relatively low price.
This is themed after Down Under that includes loungewear and underwear for women aged 18 and up (A & F Women).
This is themed after heritage of Greenwich Village and the clothes are meant for age group between 22 and 35 post-grads (A & F Mens).
Expansion
The company endeavors to expand its chain to Europe and several other key locations around the world like Singapore, Netherland, Sweden and Singapore while it has also been expanding its operations throughout the U.S. as well. The company is considered to have maximum growth and expansion in the U.S. and it began to go beyond borders in 2006. The strategic objective of the company is to optimize its operations to maximize the revenue through flagship stores and other brands across the globe. The company expects to raise 30% of its total revenue from international stores including flagship stores and Hollister Co and it intends to accelerate the expansion in coming years.
Corporate Social Responsibility
A & F has been currently engaged in humanitarian programs as part of its social responsiveness. “A & F Cares” attempts to work for sustainability, human rights, philanthropy, diversity and inclusion. A & F Challenge program aims to raise funds annually that are spent for curing cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (A & F Cares).