Abercrombie is getting rid of its built models, nightclub vibe to lure back shoppers
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
The days of being greeted by a shirtless employee before walking into the dark cologne cloud that is an Abercrombie and Fitch store may be coming to an end.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries said his turnaround plan for the struggling retailer, whose profits sank 77 percent last year, will involve toning down Abercrombie's signature nightclub vibe. In order to woo a new generation of teens, Jeffries said he plans to do everything from minimizing the brand's logo, to enlisting "Instagram kids" to help with marketing, to (gasp!) introducing some black-colored apparel to both Abercrombie and beach-themed sister store Hollister's pastel-happy color scheme.
Jeffries also plans to nix the company's provocative ad campaigns and cut down on the amount of cologne that's sprayed in stores.
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"[Abercrombie's] customer is changing, and we're ready to change with her and him," said Jeffries.
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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
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