Abercrombie & Fitch Names New Brand President

NEW YORK, United States — Abercrombie & Fitch Co., the teen apparel chain that's retooling its image in an effort to revive sales growth, named a British retail executive as the new president for its namesake brand.

Christos Angelides, who comes from the U.K.-based clothing chain Next Plc, will take charge of the Abercrombie & Fitch and Abercrombie Kids brands, according to a statement today. When he starts the job in October, Angelides will be responsible for products, customer interactions and finances.

Chief Executive Officer Mike Jeffries has been trying to rekindle Abercrombie’s appeal among teen shoppers, who are flocking to fast-fashion retailers such as Forever 21 and Hennes & Mauritz AB. His turnaround plan has included a management shake-up. In addition to the hiring of Angelides, the company is searching for a brand president to oversee the Hollister nameplate, which caters to younger shoppers.

“Christos’s appointment is a critical step in our long- term strategy of being organized to win and we are excited to welcome him to the Abercrombie team,” Jeffries said in the statement. Angelides, 51, has served group product director for Next, giving him experience managing a multibillion-dollar international retailer, Jeffries said.

Abercrombie is updating its stores and adding more fashion- forward merchandise as it turns to social-media marketing to engage shoppers. The company also has separated the CEO and chairman roles and increased the size of the board, aiming to improve corporate governance. Still, sales aren’t projected to start growing again until at least 2016, according to analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

As part of the recent changes, the New Albany, Ohio-based company promoted Jonathan Ramsden to the newly created chief operating officer position in January, and then hired Joanne C. Crevoiserat in April to replace him as chief financial officer.

By Lindsey Rupp, Editors: Nick Turner, John Lear