Abercrombie and Fitch: When did Mike Jeffries step down?

CEO Mike Jeffries stepped down in December 2014, a year after he was stripped of his role as chairman. Jeffries retired after more than two decades at the helm of the company. Jeffries left the company after 11 straight quarters of same-store sales declines.

Jeffries took over as CEO in 1992 when Abercrombie’s sales remained stagnant. He transformed the brand into a retail powerhouse by putting the Abercrombie name all over its items, focusing on a more preppy, casual image, then sexing it up with sexual advertising and selling it at high prices.

In a 2006 interview with Salon, Jeffries stated that his technique was focused on “cool kids… the gorgeous all-American kid with a wonderful attitude and a lot of pals.”

Many parents were offended by the advertising, which portrayed frolicking, half-naked co-eds, which made the brand even more appealing to their children.

On Jeffries’ watch, Abercrombie’s same-store sales fell 10% in fiscal 2013 which ultimately lead to his dismissal. The company restructured by getting rid of all visible logos on its clothing in the North American region as well as changed the nightclub aesthetic of its stores to make them more open, light, and inviting.