Abercrombie
Abercrombie is cool again.
- After years of struggling, Abercrombie & Fitch reported positive sales growth at its namesake brand in the fourth quarter of 2017.
- This growth was driven by greater investment in stores, marketing, and omnichannel experiences.
- We compared our experience of shopping online at Abercrombie in May 2017 versus today.
Abercrombie & Fitch is on its way to becoming cool again.
Abercrombie & Fitch, which also owns successful sister brand Hollister, reported positive same-store sales growth for the first time in six years during the third quarter of 2017. While this 4% increase was thanks to strong growth at Hollister, the Abercrombie brand itself showed signs of improvement.
During the fourth quarter of 2017, Abercrombie finally had its comeback, reporting an impressive 5% increase in same-store sales.
On Thursday, credit-ratings agency Moody's raised its rating for the company.
"The upgrade reflects the 2017 recovery in both the Hollister and Abercrombie brands and Moody's expectation
that operating performance will remain solid," Moody's wrote in a note to clients.
Abercrombie has been working hard to execute a comeback by investing in stores, closing unprofitable locations, improving its product assortment, and working on its marketing strategy.
In the past, it was accused of losing relevance with customers who grew tired of oversexualized ads and shopping in its nearly pitch-black stores with booming music and air that was thick with the smell of cologne.
In May 2017, Business Insider's Kate Taylor checked out the experience of shopping online at Abercrombie. We compared that to the shopping experience now that its sales are on the upswing:
