Fran Horowitz is New Abercrombie & Fitch CEO
Fran Horowitz is New Abercrombie & Fitch CEO
After two years without a chief executive officer, Abercrombie & Fitch announced a number of executive changes last week, including the promotion of Fran Horowitz to CEO. “It is an honor to lead Abercrombie & Fitch’s efforts to strengthen our performance and reignite our growth,” Horowitz stated regarding the promotion. “We have made solid progress in our efforts to listen to and provide our customers with shopping experiences that exceed their expectations. I am pleased to have Joanne, an extremely talented executive, as my partner in leading a best-in-class organization.”
Horowitz has been the president and chief merchandising officer at Abercrombie & Fitch since December 2015, after joining the company as the Hollister brand president, before which she was the brand president at Ann Taylor Loft. Horowitz boasts an impressive resume beyond the past 5 years, previously working at Express, Bloomingdales, and Bergdorf Goodman among others. The brand went without a CEO for two years after the departure of Mike Jeffries, who was let go for a number of reasons, among them his controversial statements he made that led to public relations issues, and what have been called “negative company comparable-sales” for 11 straight months leading up to his departure.
Arthur Martinez, who will continue on as the brand’s executive chairman, stated that “Fran’s appointment to CEO reflects the leadership she has shown in the turnaround of Hollister, our efforts to provide a compelling, customer-focused shopping experience at both of our brands and, while we have more work to do, the repositioning of the Abercrombie & Fitch brand.”
Along with the new CEO, the current executive vice president and chief financial officer of the brand Joanne Crevoiserat will be promoted to chief operating officer while maintaining in her current positions. Martinez was only complimentary towards Crevoiserat as well, stating that, “Joanne’s promotion to the role of COO reflects the scope of her responsibilities and the important role she plays in maintaining our operational discipline and financial strength in a challenging retail environment.”
Fran Horowitz is New Abercrombie & Fitch CEO
