Abercrombie & Fitch investor relations material

The casual luxury apparel company

Abercrombie & Fitch is an American lifestyle company that is mostly recognized for its clothing brands, targeting women, men, and children, which has more than 1,000 stores globally. Other apparel brands flirting with the laid-back and casual lifestyle are Levis, Urban Outfitters, H&M, and American Eagle, to name a few.

Uniquely-scented stores

The trendy clothes and accessories targeting young adults has arguably contributed most in terms of creating and reproducing the unique brand, which in turn has enabled successes in other areas such as home goods and lifestyle products. The branding strategy includes making the customer experience unique by playing loud techno music in the stores, having the staff dress in controversial and odd ways, and filling the stores with unique scents. In fact, Abercrombie & Fitch have invested millions of dollars in scent-spraying machines – filling each store with the smell of their own perfume, Fierce.

Big things have small beginnings

The company was founded in New York, 1892, by David T. Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch as a tiny outfit shop, which quickly expanded into a successful retail business. Abercrombie & Fitch was the largest sporting goods outfitter in the U.S. in the early 1900s, and is today one of the most recognized brands in the world within their specific niche – having had both ups and downs along the way. In 1996, the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange.