The Abercrombie & Fitch logo has lost the power it once wielded, so the struggling teen retailer plans to strip off the once-prized logo from its clothing. Shares tumbled Thursday after it reported weak sales as more teens shop elsewhere. It is a major change for the retailer, whose sweatshirts and T-shirts emblazoned with its name long held major cachet with teenagers. Now, individuality is the name of the game. "Personal style, specifically with teens, is becoming less about fitting in and more about standing out," said Lauren Wolfenden, a senior advisory analyst at WGSN, a fashion trend consultancy. "A&F has wised up to this by phasing out the cookie-cutter logo-ed product look." For the fall shopping season, A&F has reduced its logoed merchandise by half, and plans to go further. "In the spring season, we are looking to take the North American logo business to practically nothing," CEO Mike Jeffries told investors on a conference call. A&F and other traditional teen stores have to adapt in an uphill battle as mall traffic drops and shoppers' tastes change.
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