Abercrombie & Fitch brand profile:
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) (NYSE: ANF) is an American retailer, currently headed by chairman and CEO Michael S. Jeffries. A&F specifically focuses on casualwear and accessories for a target consumer ages of 18 through 22. With over 300 locations in the United States, the brand has embarked on international expansion throughout various world markets. The company also operates three off-shoot brands: abercrombie (childrenswear), Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. The company also operated a post-grad subsidary brand, Ruehl No.925, that shuttered in early 2010.
Founded in 1892 in Manhattan by David T. Abercrombie, A&F had been an elite outfitter of sporting and excursion goods. It struggled financially from the late 1960s until it was purchased by The Limited in 1988 and repositioned, under the management of Mike Jeffries, as the aspirational "Casual Luxury" lifestyle brand in present form.
Especially since 1997, the company has consistently kept a high-profile in the public eye - both positive and negative - due to its type of advertising (including its own film and magazines), its philanthropy, and its involvement in legal conflicts over branding, clothing style and employment practices.
