(RTTNews) - Thursday, specialty retailer abercrombie and fitch. (ANF: News ) reported a 29% decline in
comparable store sales for August. The company, which owns Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie and fitch Hollister and
RUEHL brands, also posted a 23% drop in net sales compared to the same month of the previous fiscal year.
New Albany, Ohio-based abercrombie and fitch net sales for the month of August declined to $313.9 million
from net sales of $405.5 million a year earlier.
However, total company direct-to-consumer net merchandise sales increased 1% to $19.1 million from the last
year period.
Year-to-date, the company's comparable store abercrombie and fitch sales decreased 29% from the corresponding period a year back.
Year-to-date net sales decreased 23% to $1.574 billion from $2.051 billion last year. Year-to-date, total
company direct-to-consumer net merchandise sales decreased 15% to $116.9 million.
Brand-wise, abercrombie and fitch comparable store sales decreased 26%, abercrombie comparable store sales
decreased 26%, Hollister Co. comparable store sales decreased 32% and RUEHL comparable store sales decreased
37% from the same period a year ago. At month end, the company operated 348 Abercrombie & Fitch stores, 210
abercrombie stores, 510 Hollister Co. stores, 29 RUEHL stores and 16 Gilly Hicks stores in the United States.
Among the competitors, teen clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO: News ) posted a 7% decline
in comparable store sales for the month of August. The company's total sales decreased 4%.
Another competitor, specialty retailer Gap Inc. (GPS: News ) reported a 3% decline in comparable store sales
for the month of August. Net sales declined 2% from the year ago period.
ANF is currently trading on the NYSE at $30.60, down $1.49 or 4.64%, with a volume of 2.2 million shares. In
the past 52-week period, the stock has traded in the range of $13.66 - $55.65, with an average 3-month volume
of 3.8 million shares.
