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Retail

Abercrombie ditches clothes with logos in U.S. wardrobe update

By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
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By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 28, 2014, 5:30 PM ET
<h1>Abercrombie &amp; Fitch: Keep CEO Mike Jeffries quiet</h1>
After a banner year of negative press for discriminatory comments against <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2013/11/20/investing/abercrombie-fitch-plus-sizes/" title="">larger shoppers and "not-so-cool" customers</a>, Mike Jeffries is staying on as Abercrombie &amp; Fitch's chief executive. Investors desperately <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/12/09/under-pressure-abercrombies-ceo-gets-more-time-at-the-top/" title="" target="_blank">wanted him to leave</a> given the company's tanking stock, but the teen retailer has decided to stay the course with Jeffries at the helm. This means <a href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=ANF&amp;source=story_quote_link" title="">Abercrombie</a> is willing to take the risk of dealing with more outlandish comments from its chief executive. Our advice is simple: Keep him away from the microphone.
<h1>Abercrombie &amp; Fitch: Keep CEO Mike Jeffries quiet</h1> After a banner year of negative press for discriminatory comments against <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2013/11/20/investing/abercrombie-fitch-plus-sizes/" title="">larger shoppers and "not-so-cool" customers</a>, Mike Jeffries is staying on as Abercrombie &amp; Fitch's chief executive. Investors desperately <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/12/09/under-pressure-abercrombies-ceo-gets-more-time-at-the-top/" title="" target="_blank">wanted him to leave</a> given the company's tanking stock, but the teen retailer has decided to stay the course with Jeffries at the helm. This means <a href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=ANF&amp;source=story_quote_link" title="">Abercrombie</a> is willing to take the risk of dealing with more outlandish comments from its chief executive. Our advice is simple: Keep him away from the microphone. Photograph by Brent Lewin — Bloomberg/Getty Images

Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) is ditching racks of clothing plastered with the company’s logo. As store sales continue to slide, it’s trying a new strategy: Selling t-shirts and sweatshirts that have no gaudy corporate emblem stitched in.

The company, which reported a decline for the tenth straight time for its quarterly same-store sales, faces increasingly stiff competition from low-price chains including H&M and Forever 21. Sales slipped 6% year-over year to $891 million in the most recent quarter.

“In the spring season we are looking to take the North American logo business to practically nothing,” CEO Mike Jeffries said on a conference call. “[For] North America, we’d want to be out of the logo business essentially by next spring. It will remain a factor in the rest of the world.”

In another change-up, Abercrombie has started selling larger sizes for women and cutting prices, Fortune reported in May. Much of its competition sells clothes at cheaper prices and have gain ground, particularly with teens.

Shares of Abercrombie were down by as much as 8.5% Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the company also announced Thursday it’s shutting down 60 stores once their leases expire.

On the upside, the company said that there’s some progress with stocking more trendy attire, especially for its back-to-school sales.

About the Author
By Benjamin SnyderManaging Editor
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Benjamin Snyder is Fortune's managing editor, leading operations for the newsroom.

Prior to rejoining Fortune, he was a managing editor at Business Insider and has worked as an editor for Bloomberg, LinkedIn and CNBC, covering leadership stories, sports business, careers and business news. He started his career as a breaking news reporter at Fortune in 2014.

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