ABERCROMBIE FITCH CO DE

Focus Areas for Fiscal 2024

In June of Fiscal 2022, we announced our 2025 Always Forward Plan, which outlines our long-term strategy and goals, including growing shareholder value. The 2025 Always Forward Plan is anchored on our strategic growth principles, which are to:

•Execute focused growth plans;

•Accelerate an enterprise-wide digital revolution; and

•Operate with financial discipline

The 2025 Always Forward Plan growth principles serve as a framework for the Company achieving sustainable and profitable growth and profitability in Fiscal 2024. Below are some additional details specific to Fiscal 2024 objectives within the 2025 Always Forward Plan:

Execute focused growth plans by:

•driving sales growth across regions and brands primarily through marketing and store investment.

•using our playbooks globally to align the brands’ products, voices, and experiences with customers, both digitally and in-store; and

•using testing and chase strategies to deliver compelling assortments and product collections across genders.

Accelerate an enterprise-wide digital revolution to improve the customer and associate experience by:

•continuing to progress on our multi-year enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) transformation and cloud migration journey; and

•investing in digital and technology to improve experiences across key parts of the customer journey while delivering a consistent omnichannel experience.

Operate with financial discipline by:

•actively managing inventory levels and positioning Abercrombie brands and Hollister brands to chase inventory as appropriate throughout the year; and

•funding our growth strategies while properly balancing investments, impacts of inflation and efficiency efforts.

Current Macroeconomic Conditions

Macroeconomic conditions, including inflation, the geopolitical landscape, political uncertainty including elections in several countries, higher interest rates, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, and declines in consumer discretionary spending continue to negatively impact our business. While freight costs have decreased in Fiscal 2023 and cotton costs waned towards the end of Fiscal 2023, there continues to be pricing volatility with respect to freight, cotton and other raw materials. Continued inflationary pressures and pricing volatility could further impact expenses and have a long-term impact on the Company because increasing costs may impact its ability to maintain satisfactory margins.

In addition, these macroeconomic conditions may result in delays in merchandise fulfillment and deliveries, increased costs to meet consumer demand (which we may not be able to pass on to customers through average unit retail (“AUR”)), or reduced consumer confidence. In periods of perceived or actual unfavorable economic conditions, consumers may reallocate available discretionary spending, which may adversely impact demand for our products.

Global Events and Supply Chain Disruptions

As a global multi-brand omnichannel specialty retailer, with operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, among other regions, management is mindful of macroeconomic risks, global challenges and the changing global geopolitical environment, including the ongoing armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine or Israel and Hamas, and conflict in the surrounding areas, which could adversely impact certain areas of the business. Starting in late Fiscal 2023, disruptions to ocean vessels in the Red Sea have resulted in delayed deliveries to the EMEA region. Such disruptions have also led to increased freight costs, which could impact the Company in Fiscal 2024. The Company has taken certain mitigating actions in response to these events, including increasing air freight usage where appropriate and prioritizing critical orders earlier to allow for longer lead times. Further mitigating actions may be needed as we continue in to Fiscal 2024, particularly if there is prolonged or escalating conflict in the Red Sea.

While freight costs decreased in Fiscal 2023, the recent disruptions in the Red Sea may offset anticipated future freight cost benefits.

Management continues to monitor global events and assess the potential impacts that these events and similar events may have on the business in future periods. Although management also develops and updates contingency plans to assist in mitigating potential impacts, it is possible that the Company’s preparations for such events are not adequate to mitigate their impact, and that these events could further adversely affect its business and results of operations.

Global Store Network Optimization

The Company has a goal of finding the right size, right location and right economics for omni-enabled stores that cater to local customers. The Company continues to use data to inform its focus on aligning store square footage with digital penetration and the Company delivered new store experiences across brands during Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022. Details related to these new store experiences follow:

During Fiscal 2023, the Company opened 35 new stores, while closing 32 stores. This compares with 59 new stores and 26 closures during Fiscal 2022. Future closures could be completed through natural lease expirations, while certain other leases include early termination options that can be exercised under specific conditions. The Company may also elect to exit or modify other leases, and could incur charges related to these actions.

Additional details related to store count and gross square footage follow:

(1)The Americas segment includes the results of operations in North America and South America.

(2)The EMEA segment includes the results of operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

(3)The APAC segment includes the results of operations in the Asia-Pacific region, including Asia and Oceania.

(4)Abercrombie brands includes Abercrombie & Fitch and abercrombie kids.

(5)Hollister brands includes Hollister and Gilly Hicks.

(6)This store count excludes temporary and international franchise stores.

Pillar Two Model Rules

In 2021, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) released Pillar Two Global Anti-Base Erosion model rules (“Pillar Two Rules”), designed to ensure large corporations are taxed at a minimum rate of 15% in all countries of operation. Although the U.S. has not yet enacted legislation implementing Pillar Two Rules, other countries where the Company does business, including the U.K. and Germany, have enacted legislation implementing Pillar Two Rules which are effective from January 1, 2024. The Company does not expect the implementation of the Pillar Two Rules in each jurisdiction in which it operates will have a material impact on the Company’s effective tax rate. The Company will continue to evaluate the impact as jurisdictions implement legislation and provide further guidance.

Summary of Results

A summary of results for Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022 follows:

(1) Refer to“RESULTS OF OPERATIONS” for details on excluded items. A reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, as well as a discussion as to why the Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors, is provided below under “NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES.”

(2) Comparable sales are calculated on a constant currency basis and exclude revenue other than store and digital sales. Refer to the discussion below in “NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES,” for further details on the comparable sales calculation. In light of store closures related to COVID-19, comparable sales for periods prior to Fiscal 2023 included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are not disclosed.

(3) Gross profit is derived from cost of sales, exclusive of depreciation and amortization. Gross profit rate is is derived from cost of sales, exclusive of depreciation and amortization as a percentage of total net sales.

Certain components of the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets as of February 3, 2024 and January 28, 2023 and Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for Fiscal 2023 and Fiscal 2022 were as follows: