As expected, the US clothing group Abercrombie & Fitch Co. was able to set a new sales record in the 2025/26 financial year. However, the profit fell short of the previous year’s level. The company forecast a further increase in sales for the current year on Wednesday.
The Hollister brand remains a growth engine
In the most recent financial year, which ended on January 31, group sales amounted to 5.27 billion US dollars (4.53 billion euros). This corresponded to an increase of six percent compared to the previous year and was within the current forecast. On a comparable basis – i.e. adjusted for floor space and currency – revenues rose by three percent.
The group owes the new sales record to its Hollister division, which achieved an increase of 15 percent to 2.74 billion US dollars. This increase was enough to more than offset slight losses in the Abercrombie segment. In this area, revenue fell by one percent to $2.52 billion.
Group sales developed positively in all market regions. In the Americas, revenues increased by seven percent to $4.29 billion, in the EMEA region, which includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa, by six percent to $818.1 million and in the Asia-Pacific region by five percent to $157.8 million.
Management forecasts further sales growth
However, higher costs meant that profit fell short of the previous year’s level. The operating result fell by 5.6 percent to 699.1 million US dollars. Net profit attributable to shareholders fell 10.5 percent to $506.9 million (€435.6 million). Diluted earnings per share, which had been $10.69 a year ago, shrank to $10.46.
For the current year, management now forecasts sales growth of three to five percent and diluted earnings per share in the range of $10.20 to $11.00. The currently foreseeable effects of the US government’s current customs policy are already taken into account. The company also announced that it would continue its share buyback program. The plan is to acquire own shares with a total value of around $450 million over the course of the year.
