Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) announced today that it has named Robert S. Singer President and Chief Operating Officer. Seth R. Johnson, who has been the company's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, has announced his retirement, effective June 18, 2004.
''Bob has world-class financial and operational credentials. I am thrilled to welcome him to the Abercrombie & Fitch leadership team,'' said Mike Jeffries, Chairman and CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch. ''At the same time, on behalf of the Board, I want to thank Seth for all that he has done for our company. He has been a valuable member of our executive team and I appreciate the leadership he has provided over the last 12 years.''
As President and Chief Operating Officer, Singer will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company as well as for implementing the strategies and systems to support the continued growth of the company's retail formats.
Singer, 52, joins Abercrombie & Fitch from Gucci Group where he had served as Chief Financial Officer since its Initial Public Offering in 1995. He served as Executive Vice President from 1999 as the Group grew from one to nine operating divisions. Prior to joining Gucci, he was an audit partner and member of the Management Committee in Italy of Coopers and Lybrand (predecessor to PriceWaterhouseCoopers), a firm for which he also worked in New York during a 19-year career.
''I am very proud to join A&F. The company and its brands have enjoyed extraordinary success which I believe has been driven by the commitment to and passion for excellence of Mike Jeffries and his team. I look forward to working with them and contributing to the future growth of the company,'' said Mr. Singer.
Singer, who has lived in Italy for more than 20 years, is an American. He holds an undergraduate degree in Humanities from Johns Hopkins University as well as Masters degrees in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Irvine and in Accounting from New York University.
Abercrombie & Fitch operated a total of 706 stores at the end of the first fiscal quarter, including 170 abercrombie stores and 177 Hollister Co. stores. The Company operates e-commerce websites at www.abercrombie.com , www.abercrombiekids.com , and www.hollisterco.com .