UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
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Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
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ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. ANNOUNCES
POSTPONEMENT OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
New Albany, Ohio, February 28, 2011: Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) announced today that it
has postponed its Special Meeting of Stockholders originally scheduled to be held this morning at
10:00 a.m., Eastern Time. Ronald A. Robins, Jr., the Companys Senior Vice President and General
Counsel, stated: Following a succession of positive communications with a number of significant
stockholders, we put the reincorporation proposal up for a vote, convinced that it was a major
corporate governance reform in the best interests of our stockholders and would receive strong
support. We have been unable to obtain a strong consensus in favor of reincorporation at this
point. Accordingly, we are postponing the Special Meeting in order to continue our dialogue with
our stockholders regarding this significant corporate governance matter.
At the end of its 2010 fiscal year, the Company operated a total of 1,069 stores. The Company
operated 316 Abercrombie & Fitch stores, 181 abercrombie kids stores, 502 Hollister Co. stores and
18 Gilly Hicks stores in the United States. The Company also operated nine Abercrombie & Fitch
stores, four abercrombie kids stores, 38 Hollister Co. stores and one Gilly Hicks store
internationally. The Company operates e-commerce websites at www.abercrombie.com,
www.abercrombiekids.com, www.hollisterco.com and www.gillyhicks.com.
For further information, call:
Eric Cerny
Manager, Investor Relations
(614) 283-6385
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995
A&F cautions that any forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995) contained in this Press Release or made by management of A&F involve
risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various important factors, many of which
may be beyond the Companys control. Words such as estimate, project, plan, believe,
expect, anticipate, intend, and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements.
The following factors, in addition to those included in the disclosure under the heading
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTORS in ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS of A&Fs Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2010, in some cases have affected and in the future
could affect the Companys financial performance and could cause actual results for the 2010 fiscal
year and beyond to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any of the forward-looking
statements included in this Press Release or otherwise made by management: general economic and
financial conditions could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business, results of
operations and liquidity; loss of the services of skilled senior executive officers could have a
material adverse effect on the Companys business; ability to hire, train and retain qualified
associates could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business; equity-based
compensation awarded under the employment agreement with the Companys Chief Executive Officer
could adversely impact the Companys cash flows, financial position or results of operations and
could have a dilutive effect on the Companys outstanding Common Stock; failure to anticipate,
identify and respond to changing consumer preferences and fashion trends in a timely manner could
cause the Companys profitability to decline; unseasonable weather conditions affecting consumer
preferences could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business; disruptive weather
conditions affecting the consumers ability to shop could have a material adverse effect on the
Companys business; the Companys market share may be adversely impacted at any time by a
significant number of competitors; the Companys international expansion plan is dependent on many
factors, any of which could delay or prevent successful penetration into new markets and strain its
resources; the Companys growth strategy relies on the addition of new stores, which may strain the
Companys resources and adversely impact current store performance; the Company may incur costs
related to store closures; availability and market prices of key raw materials and labor costs
could have a material adverse effect on the Companys business and results of operations; the
interruption of the flow of merchandise from key
vendors and international manufacturers could disrupt the Companys supply chain; the Company does
not own or operate any manufacturing facilities and therefore depends upon independent third
parties for the manufacture of all its merchandise; the Companys reliance on two distribution
centers domestically located in the same vicinity, and one distribution center internationally,
makes it susceptible to disruptions or adverse conditions affecting its distribution centers; the
Companys reliance on third parties to deliver merchandise from its distribution centers to its
stores and direct-to-consumer customers could result in disruptions to its business; the Companys
development of new brand concepts could have a material adverse effect on the Companys financial
condition or results of operations; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could adversely
impact financial results; the Companys net sales and inventory levels fluctuate on a seasonal
basis, causing its results of operations to be particularly susceptible to changes to
back-to-school and holiday shopping patterns; the Companys ability to attract customers to its
stores depends heavily on the success of the shopping centers in which they are located; comparable
store sales will continue to fluctuate on a regular basis; the Companys net sales are affected by
direct-to-consumer sales; the Company may be exposed to risks and costs associated with credit card
fraud and identity theft; the Companys litigation exposure could exceed expectations, having a
material adverse effect on the Companys financial condition or results of operations; the
Companys failure to adequately protect its trademarks could have a negative impact on its brand
image and limit its ability to penetrate new markets; the Companys unsecured credit agreement
includes financial and other covenants that impose restrictions on its financial and business
operations; changes in taxation requirements could adversely impact financial results; the
Companys inability to obtain commercial insurance at acceptable prices or failure to adequately
reserve for self-insured exposures might increase expense and adversely impact financial results;
modifications and/or upgrades to information technology systems may disrupt operations; the Company
could suffer if the Companys computer systems are disrupted or cease to operate effectively;
effects of political and economic events and conditions domestically, and in foreign jurisdictions
in which the Company operates, including, but not limited to, acts of terrorism or war could have a
material adverse effect on the Companys business; potential disruption of the Companys business
due to the occurrence of, or fear of, a health pandemic could have a material adverse effect on the
Companys business; changes in the regulatory or compliance landscape could adversely affect the
Companys business or results of operations; and the Companys operations may be effected by
greenhouse emissions and climate change.