Abercrombie & Fitch Must Pay for Harassing

Abercrombie outlet is going to need to push some extra moose-emblazoned button-downs and hoodies today.

Dean, who worked at the hollister clothing's London flagship store, sued the company for discrimination against her disability, claiming bosses banished her to the stockroom rather than use her on the sales floor, and even suggested that she stay out of sight until the colder months, when employee uniforms allowed for more arm coverage.
Though the tribunal did acknowledge that Ruehl No.925 created an "adversely humiliating environment" for Dean -- who quit after just five shifts -- they did not find evidence of direct discrimination, due to the fact that all store employees must adhere to the in-house looks policy dictating appearance.
Hey, ￡9,014 could buy a ton of rugby shirts, but something tells us Dean will take her money elsewhere.
Britain's Central London Employment Tribunal awarded former employee Riam Dean ￡9,014 (approximately $14,696) after ruling that the clothing giant had harassed her about her prosthetic arm, reports the Daily Mail.

Abercrombie and Fitch stops selling porn

I visited an abercrombie store at the Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Maryland last Wednesday. I was planning to write a story about the quarterly, and wanted to see a copy for myself. But when I got to the counter, the sales associate told me they were no longer selling the Christmas issue. This was confirmed by store manager Matt Willard, who said all A&F stores were ordered to stop selling the quarterly last Tuesday. Store managers were given no explanation for the decision, he said.

In matters of foreign policy, Teddy Roosevelt advised, one should speak softly and carry a big stick. Last month tens of thousands of Americans applied that advice to a vexing domestic matter. Their "big stick" was the threat of a nationwide boycott of one of Roosevelt's favorite stores, abercrombie and fitch.
The threat worked. Four days before the official start of the Christmas shopping season — Abercrombie, known for overpriced clothes and underdressed models — ordered its 651 stores to stop selling "The Christmas Field Guide," the latest edition of the company's pornographic quarterly magazine. It's evidently the start of a permanent ban on selling the quarterly in stores, and it's evidence that when enough people get mad — and take action — even the most libertine companies will sometimes back down.
abercrombie outlet's quarterly has long angered parents and others concerned about cultural decay. The 2003 Christmas issue features dozens of naked young men and women in various sexual poses, including group sex. The pictures are accompanied by a column from a "sexpert" who, among other lewd advice, suggests readers engage in oral sex in movie theaters "so long as you do not disturb those around you."
Earlier editions featured pictures of Santa in sadomasochistic poses with his elves, drinking tips, advice on seducing everyone from teachers to nuns, and a recommendation that students "negotiate a special group rate at a local motel, which your entire quad can take advantage of." A&F recently outraged parents by marketing, to seven-year-old girls, thong-style panties featuring slogans like "Eye Candy" and "Wink Wink."

Abercrombie's woes will be with it for a while

Abercrombie outlet reported Q3 numbers today, and according to the press release, net sales decreased 8%, and earnings per diluted share declined 44% to $0.72. As Melly Alazraki reported this morning, that $0.72 beat analyst estimates. But the market could care less. As Melly pointed out, the full-year outlook was cut. The stock sold off upon the news. In fact, as I write this, the stock is down nearly 15%. By the way, if by the time this is published the market is up and Abercrombie's shares are trading in the green (big if, granted), don't even think it's a buy. Put that out of your mind. Did you see the same-store sales? They were down 14% for the quarter. That figure is grabbing the attention of investors, I'm sure. When you see a downturn like that, well, you know things aren't going to turn around quickly.

abercrombie and fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF), the hip clothing store that competes with The Gap, Inc. (NYSE: GPS) and J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP), is no different than any other retailer. Christmas is going to hurt... hurt bad. Make no mistake. And as far as earnings reports goes, the pattern is in: report a decline, then issue some nasty guidance.
Abercrombie's woes will be with it for a while. Management will find it difficult to strike the right balance between staffing the stores properly and increasing marketing activities. All retailers will be in the same boat. The stock hit a new 52-week low today of $18.83. My guess is that the stock will be as volatile as the market, and that it will trend in a downward direction over the next couple months. Obviously I don't think it's a buy. Broken stock and broken fundamentals aren't a great combo. Ruehl No.925 continues to plan for new store openings in fiscal 2008; perhaps those investments will pay off down the line. For now, the retail sector is doing horribly, competition in the sector is becoming cutthroat as consumer confidence loses value, and I continue to look at only two names -- Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and Target (NYSE: TGT) -- as possible long-term values. Yep, Abercrombie & Fitch isn't so sexy anymore.

Jewelry Trends at the 2009 Oscars

In contrast, Heidi Klum seemed to get the look wrong and over did it with multiple ladies bracelets and very large sweeping earrings which curved around her face.
tiffany jewellery
Celebrities always want their designer dresses to do all the talking, there were a lot of understated earrings, in button rather than drop styles. Button style earrings always enhance the overall look, but don’t distract from the dress. One star who stepped out wearing the exception to the simple earrings of her contemporaries was Angelina Jolie. Angelina chose to wear large vibrant Fred Leighton emerald drop earrings and a matching emerald cocktail ring. In keeping with the trend though, she appeared without necklace or bracelets so retained a cool, classic look.tiffany jewelry
For men designer Tiffany jewellery and decoration, apart from cuff-links, are barely noticeable – we didn’t spot any mens bracelets. Brad Pitt did show off some fancy metal shirt buttons, and a few other male stars chose an understated silver brooch to wear on their tuxedo lapels.tiffany jewelry

However the tiffany jewellery london talking point of the night had to be Mickey Rourke’s choker style mens necklace. Nominated for Best Actor for his role in The Wrestler, Rourke appeared on the Oscar red carpet wearing a pendant around his neck bearing a photo of the his deceased dog Loki the chihuahua, along with his cream Jean Paul Gaultier tuxedo and open-necked shirt.

winter with Abercrombie and Fitch

I hope she triple-sues. I hope after the suit goes through, she receives her requested money and additional funds for pain and suffering. I have a family member quite like that and it drives me up the frigging wall.abercrombie and fitch recently announced it will pull the plug on its RUEHL chain, a concept with 29 stores in high-profile malls across the country that targeted well-heeled consumers in their 20s.
I hope she triple-sues. I hope after the suit goes through, she receives her requested money and additional funds for pain and suffering. The embarrassment at her treatment by abercrombie and fitch must be immense.I think that a lot of the lawsuits nowadays are setups.
But maybe it’s not just the economy’s fault in this case. I think that a lot of the lawsuits nowadays are setups.The embarrassment at her treatment by A&F must be immense.

abercrombie and fitch blamed “the severe economic downturn” for sinking the stores, which launched in 2004, generating an operating loss of $58 million during the company’s prior fiscal year.The lesson here is that some of these retailers might be better off sticking to their core concepts instead of pushing ever more demographic-specific options out to the consumer.
A&F has never been a stranger to discrimination suits; one was recently settled in the US for discrimination during the hiring process in that they would allegedly only hire “young and beautiful” men and women to work in their stores.I am not one of those sue-crazy citizens.

Early To Abercrombie & Fitch

Apparently, the city code prohibits the display of “obscene materials in a business that is open to juveniles.” Police say they gave the abercrombie and fitch warnings to remove the images after customers complained, but their warnings were ignored. In response to the charges and controversy, abercrombie and fitch released the following statement:
“The marketing images in question show less skin than you see any summer day at the beach. And certainly less than the plumber working on your kitchen sink.”
The company plans to pursue its legal rights aggressively, while the manager of the store faces a fine of up to $2000 and a year in jail.
An abercrombie and fitch store in Virginia Beach, Va. has had it’s racy display photos removed by city police, and its manager was cited for a misdemeanor obscenity charge. The store had two photos of questionable images. One of the photos features three shirtless men, one with butt cleavage sticking out. The other of a woman with one of her breasts almost fully exposed.

The apparel retailer reported on Wednesday that its third-quarter earnings jumped 15.3% as increased sales offset higher markdown rates. For the period ending Nov. 3, Abercrombie & Fitch (nyse: ANF - news - people ) earned $117.6 million, or $1.29 per share, up from $102.0 million, or $1.11 per share in the third quarter of 2006.
Total sales for the period climbed to $973.9 million, up 12.8% from $863.4 million in the similar period a year prior. Same-store sales for the quarter rose 1%, which includes sales at Hollister and RUEHL brands. Same-store sales at Abercrombie & Fitch stores grew 3%.
The New Albany, Ohio-based company beat the profit predictions of analyst polled by Thomson Financial, who forecast $1.28 per share. However, Abercrombie & Fitch fell short of the Street's sales estimate of $985.3 million.
abercrombie and fitch attributes its profit increase to a higher price markups than last year. Also, the company noted that it suffered fewer losses from theft than in the past.
This winter, Abercrombie & Fitch is "featuring fleece that is of heavier weight than other teen retailers," said Friedman, Billings, Ramsey analyst Adrienne Tennant, who said she believes sales of these products may disproportionately benefit the company heading into the coldest months of the year. Tennant also noted that Abercrombie & Fitch has done a solid job of managing inventory levels, a key concern in a weakening economy.

A&F pieces your kids own

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention reports that Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a major public health challenge in the United States. CDC estimates that approximately 19 million new infections occur each year? almost half of them among young people 15 to 24 years of age [Is that the "research" the stupid t-shirt is talking about?].abercrombie and fitch

And feminists wonder why women aren't taken seriously. Images here, as well as information on how to grumble. I doubt you can stop them from being their boorish selves, but you can reconsider those more innocent "billboards" you let your own kids wear to prove they're hip. It's not a lifestyle we can afford to ignore.

I know you can't fight cool -- and some labels just reek of prestige. I see abercrombie and fitchlabels everywhere (it's the brand that's meant to be sported to indicate you've arrived). When we had exchange students in from France last year, all the families met at the malls so that they could take home suitcases full of the best name brands, and that's when I learned that a slinky little t-shirt from A&F was ridiculously expensive.

So now there's a "New College" line, in case their goal hasn't been obvious enough:

The first A&F T-shirt pictures a young girl opening her blouse - exposing herself. A&F titles the image: "Show the Twins". The second picture is of a female running nude. A&F titles it: "Female streaking encouraged." The next abercrombie and fitch T-shirt is entitled: "Female Students Wanted for Sexual Research"

abercrombie and fitch does not merely sell a popular line of clothing -- they sell a lifestyle. And because A&F clothing is popular among teens and college kids, the influence of their sex-as-recreation lifestyle is widespread.