2009年10月14日星期三

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.


2009年10月13日星期二

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."

2009年10月12日星期一

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.

2009年10月4日星期日

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.