Neil Saunders’ Post

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s comeback is highly impressive. If you consider where the brand was some years back and its problematic recent history, the fact it is now one of the fastest growing apparel retailers is little short of remarkable.   Part of the reason for the success is that Fran Horowitz and her team are retailers, they understand how retail works and, most of all, they are completely focused on the customer. All of their plans and decisions have been taken with the customer in mind, which is why they have worked so well. Many other retailers give lip-service to the customer, but don’t really follow through. This isn’t the case at Abercrombie.   The integrated nature of management’s vision also played a big role. They have looked at every aspect of the organization to see how it needs to change to fit in with the new vision. For example, while changing products has been at the heart of the reinvention so too has retooling the supply chain to make it faster so the company can chase trends rather than try and predict them. Another example is looking at where and how products are sold, which has led to sensible decisions on downsizing stores and coming out of loss-making vanity flagships.   Fran and her team haven’t been afraid to make change and ditch past baggage. Basically, this is a team that has a very firm grip on the business and on the market and has executed flawlessly. It was great have my comments included in Vogue Business' interview with Fran (link in comments).  #retail #retailnews #apparel #fashion

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s remarkable resurgence underlines the power of putting consumers at the heart of every decision. Their success story is a testament to the efficacy of customer-centric strategies in revitalizing a brand. #BusinessStrategy #CustomerFirst

'Why Abercrombie & Fitch isn't complaining about the weather ☀️🌧️ A merchandising-first mindset is behind the once-troubled brand’s transformation into one of the best performers in retail, analysts say. 💼📈 #AbercrombieandFitch #RetailSuccess #BrandTransformation' by Retail Dive about Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

Abercrombie & Fitch’s remarkable turnaround can be attributed, in part, to disciplined inventory management. By carefully controlling stock levels, they’ve minimized margin volatility and ensured a more stable business performance. #Abercrombie #inventory #management #innovation #profits

Retail Today / Retail Renaissance: So not all mall retailers are struggling, some have transformed themselves into the hottest brand in years. Abercrombie is on 🔥🔥🔥🔥! Their stock performance last year up 285% 💥💥💥! $4 Billion in sales, +10% growth! Why? They went from hated just a few years ago to loved, by transforming their marketing, appealing to a different demographic and audience. Good old fashion merchandising, product design, fashion, style that appealed to #millennials. This is how you get beyond Fast-Fashion, by building demand for quality products. Under the radar, hundreds of Specialty Retailers are taking a different approach to the demand of cheap products and low prices. Opportunity? Was this what Gap missed? #retail #retailindustry #retailtrends #retailstrategy #retailexperience #merchandising #fashion #style #marketing #stores #shoppingexperience #brandexperience #sales #quality #millenials #genz #abercrombie #gap Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

Somewhere around late 2022, I saw signals that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. was "back". I hadn't seen any paid marketing but, through word of mouth and earned media, the brand kept catching my eye. I'd compliment a woman on the jeans she was wearing - Abercrombie Top 10 lists of jeans in fashion and culture pubs - Abercrombie Tik Tok info from my daughter - Abercrombie I was thrilled to learn, from this article, just how purposefully those impressions made it into my headspace. This article reads like a master class in retail, and brand turnaround and growth. With key lessons in... 🌀 Pivoting - The new executive team was honest with a themselves about the brand's fall from grace and why. 🎧 Listening - The strategy responsible for the incredible turnaround, created and steered by CMO Carey Collins Krug (she/her), was all about listening to the customer in a robust way. The results of that listening went beyond marketing. Delving deeply into their targets' lives "unlocked alot of opportunities" from multiple perspectives - brand, store, assortment. 🤝Collaboration - Members of the Product team, led by Corey Robinson, are embedded in the Marketing team so the brand can go quickly to marketing new products. 🎯 Execution - Retail is detail. CEO Fran Horowitz says in the article, “There is no silver bullet." “It has been about…executing a focused playbook every single day,". Huge congrats to the Abercrombie team members on the great work and amazing results. Thanks for the article Katie Deighton #retail #brand #brandtransformation #apparel #jeans #marketing #influencermarketing #earnedmedia

My CNBC video interview on Abercrombie & Fitch's blowout sales and profits illustrates the competitive advantage of having a retail merchant as the CEO! Fran Horowitz is a savvy CEO offering Great Fashion for Real Consumers and everybody wins!! #abercrombieandfitch #fashion #cnbc #retail

🛍️ If you remember Abercrombie & Fitch from the 2000s, you'll appreciate this journey. From exclusivity to inclusivity, it's been quite a transformation. Abercrombie faced its share of challenges in the 2010s, but they responded with change. Revamped stores, expanded sizes, and fair pricing became their new mantra. And here's the proof that these changes are paying off: Abercrombie & Fitch's recent sales have shattered Wall Street estimates. In the 2023 fiscal second quarter, they raked in a staggering $935.3 million in revenue, far surpassing Wall Street's $842.4 million estimate. It's a testament to the power of adaptation and resilience in the world of fashion. #AbercrombieAndFitch #RetailRevival #AdaptAndSucceed

Even if you suffer huge losses, you can always bounce back - just look at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. I came across this article from the BBC on Abercrombie’s comeback. Its second year of double-digit sales growth, an accomplishment it last enjoyed more than a decade ago, did not come easily. Yesterday’s A&F branding was all about dimly-lit stores, young men showing their muscles and six packs, blaring music, and perfume you could smell a mile away. Today’s A&F is a completely different story. The locations are bright, the music is not overbearing, and the stores no longer announce themselves by scent alone. While the brand heritage is still alive, significant changes have been done - internally, in its marketing strategy, and presentation - to get it where it is now. A&F is proof that you can revive a brand - if you put in the work. When you need to bounce back from huge damages (whether caused by leaders / failure to hit demand or recognise trend changes), you really need to go to the extreme. By overturning every stone in the organisation, you’re aligned to effectively execute your new vision. #AbercrombieandFitch #Fashion #Apparel #Strategy Source: https://lnkd.in/gyvtq3JC

What can be learned from the come-back kids? Marks and Spencer, Abercrombie & Fitch Co., and AllSaints are three strong turnaround stories that have demonstrated retail/fashion turnarounds are possible. These three span the UK's broad appeal middle market, a famous global player, and a super-focused directional fashion brand. While Ted Baker and Superdry are on the ropes, these success stories offer valuable insights, although we see no common silver bullet 🤔 Here are three thoughts from TRP: ✅ M&S maximised and widened the appeal of Food while bringing third-party label credentials to help the perceptual change of own-label clothing (as own-label was developed too) )—all with operational efficiencies, digital development, and a re-energised team culture. ✅ Abercrombie was bold and brave, a significant change from the original model, in which customer feedback now plays a leading role in product development. The new CEO has created a highly customer focussed culture, rather than A&F knows best ;) They've also moved to attract an older customer than teens. ✅ All Saints strengthened its distinct brand DNA, found its tribes in global locations, and developed its DTC channels, avoiding an over-reliance on wholesale and marketplaces. It would be good to hear what others believe has contributed to these turnarounds... #Retail #Fashion #Brands Alexandra Legro RM Philip Mountford Jon Bennett Micha Medendorp Benjamin Philip Sarah L. Morris Helen Beebe Laura Supple Eva Pascoe Henrik Madsen Will Murray-Phillips Alex Pickering Kees Verkade