Abercrombie & Fitch to Close 3 Flagship Stores Amid Weak Sales
Abercrombie & Fitch announced Wednesday plans to close three more flagship stores, reports CNBC. The announcement comes as the apparel retailer reported lower-than-expected first-quarter sales and a drop in share value. The locations set to close include a Hollister store in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City, an Abercrombie store in Fukuoka, Japan, both closing this year, and an Abercrombie store in Milan, Italy, closing in early 2020. The retailer has closed a total of five flagship stores since 2017.
Total Retail's Take: These latest flagship store closures align with Abercrombie & Fitch's strategy to focus on smaller stores, "pivoting away from large-format stores and continuing to transition to smaller, more omnichannel-focused spaces," the brand said in a company press release. Fran Horowitz, chief executive officer, said Abercrombie & Fitch is "focused on [its] transformative initiatives, with global store network optimization a key priority" in 2019 and beyond. The brand's closure of large-format store locations will further reduce costs, and figures to improve the bottom line. While the company didn't meet expected same-store sales growth, overall sales grew to $734 million from $730.9 million a year ago.
Kristina Stidham is the digital content director at Total Retail and sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality at NAPCO Media. She is passionate about digital media and handles video, podcast and virtual event production for all brands. You can often find her at WIRLC, TR, WLT&H or industry events with her camera and podcasting equipment—or at home on Zoom—recording interviews with thought leaders and business executives.
Kristina holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production from the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication in Philadelphia. Go Owls! When she's not in the office, she loves to go on long walks, sing around the house, hangout with her family and two pet guinea pigs, and travel to new places.
