Earlier in the week I read an interesting article in Time about Abercrobmie & Fitch as the worst recession brand - ever. The article highlights how A&F has protected the pricing of it's merchandise to extreme measures. Where other retailers are slashing prices and launching in-store or online sales to assist buyers watching their wallets, A&F has decided not to, citing research that says if they slash prices their customers will consider their brand cheap - or worse yet, they will consistently expect the lower prices. As a result of such stubborness, A&F is seeing record drops in revenue and is, well, protecting their brand into oblivion.
"Abercrombie has mismanaged this economic downturn more than any other retailer," says Britt Beemer, CEO of America's Research Group, a retail consulting firm.
It's a shame. I've always considered their brand fun, comfortable and classic. I could recognize their store blindfolded, simply by the smell of their men's cologne when you enter the store. While I don't appreciate all the naked bodies they've used in advertisement, it's the old school charm of the articles themselves that make them wearable.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1918160,00.html
1 comments:
Have to admit that I don't shed any tears over this news...besides the naked bodies, they also came out a few years ago with a line of racist t-shirts (against Asians) and there were large protests in SF and they pulled them, but only from the SF market...which shows me that they care most about the things I care about the least. Sorry to rant, just had to share!
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