ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO

The Abercrombie Company was founded in 1892 in New York City by David T. Abercrombie as an outfitter for the elite outdoorsman. Ezra Fitch —a wealthy lawyer, real estate developer, and devoted Abercrombie customer—bought a significant stake in the business in 1900. In 1904, it was incorporated and renamed Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Fitch eventually bought out Abercrombie's share of the business, becoming its sole owner from 1907 to 1928. The company was an elite outfitter of sporting and excursion goods, particularly noted for its expensive shotguns, fishing rods, fishing boats, and tents. It outfitted Theodore Roosevelt 's safari and Admiral Richard E. Byrd 's expedition to Antarctica. Ernest Hemingway was also a regular customer; the gun with which he committed suicide in 1961 was purchased from Abercrombie & Fitch. Following Hemingway's death, his wife placed several of his guns on consignment with the company.

By the 1970s, A&F was struggling to compete with lower-priced competitors while trying to maintain its high-end image. It was known for holding an extensive inventory of lavish items, but high operating expenses forced A&F to shed its highest priced items, such as an $18,000 (equivalent to $149,229 in 2025) gold and onyx chess set. Cash flow problems forced the company to also cut its inventory of moderately priced products.

In 1976, Abercrombie & Fitch filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In 1977, the company closed its New York flagship store at Madison Avenue and East 45th Street.

While Abercrombie & Fitch went out of business during its bankruptcy, the brand survived: in 1978, Oshman's Sporting Goods, a Houston -based retail chain, bought the defunct firm's name and mailing list for $1.5 million (equivalent to $7 million in 2025). Oshman's relaunched the company as a mail-order retailer specializing in hunting wear and novelty items. Retail stores were also opened in Beverly Hills, Dallas, and (by the mid-1980s) New York City.

In 1988, Oshman's sold the brand and its operations to Les Wexner 's vehicle The Limited (parent company of several retail clothing chains, including Victoria's Secret ). Under The Limited, which later rebranded itself as L Brands, Abercrombie & Fitch gradually shifted its focus to young adults, hired Mike Jeffries in 1992, was in 1996 spun off as a separate, publicly traded company, and eventually grew into one of the largest and most popular apparel companies among teen consumers in the United States.

In 1998, the company launched a brand targeted towards children and pre-teens named "abercrombie" - the name was later changed to Abercrombie Kids. In 2000, Hollister was launched as the company's third brand, targeted at teenagers as "a new concept focused on the optimistic, laidback California lifestyle".

2007–present

Following a lighter earnings announcement in August 2014, A&F shifted its business strategy a degree to trendier styles and faster production processes, effectively embracing fast fashion while retaining its upmarket prestige in contrast to its competitors. Longtime CEO Mike Jeffries resigned in December 2014, after 22 years with the company. Fran Horowitz took over as CEO in February 2017.

To further combat competition from more downscale fast-fashion rivals like Forever 21 and H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch announced more drastic changes to its image in 2015. It scrapped the brand's sexually charged style of advertising, changed the job title of store employees from "models" to "brand representatives", and allowed a less tightly controlled, more individualist dress code. Additionally, the company declared that "brand representatives" would focus more on customer service by offering to help serve customers, in comparison to the past reputation of displaying aloofness toward them. In 2015, the company signaled that it would begin implementing these changes.

By 2018, Abercrombie & Fitch had successfully shifted its target market to an older demographic.

Headquarters

The company's headquarters (a.k.a. "The Home Office") is located outside Columbus, Ohio in New Albany, Ohio, a small farm town that expanded into a wealthy community planned and developed by L Brands founder Les Wexner. The Home Office was designed by Anderson Architects as a campus and internally referred to as such, sitting on 350-acres and consisting of 11 two-story buildings (some connected by skybridge). The company's two merchandise distribution centers (1 million square feet each) are located on campus to help ensure brand protection. Also on campus are model stores, one for each of the company's brands, where store layouts, merchandising and atmosphere are developed and tested. In January 2017, A&F announced it was terminating 150 Home Office employees.

The company also has a EMEA Home Office in London and a APAC Home Office in Shanghai.