A&F’s Fran Horowitz Talks Supply Chain Changes THE CEO HAS OVERSEEN IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFICIENCY AND AGILITY WHILE PLACING AN EMPHASIS ON SUSTAINABILITY AND CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY. V I C K I M. YO U N G
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ran Horowitz, chief executive officer of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., created a playbook for the Hollister brand before taking those learnings to revitalize the company’s core A&F brand. Included in that was a rethinking of the merchandising and related supply chain needs. Here, Horowitz discusses the need for agility, and how the ability to quickly respond to customer demands dictates adjustments to sourcing and the supply chain. Sourcing Journal: What was the state of the supply chain for the Hollister brand when you joined the company as brand president in October 2014? One of your priorities was to reposition the brand and its product offerings. As you worked through that strategy, how did that impact the supply chain and what were the related changes that were needed? Fran Horowitz: Our company, including our Hollister brand, has always benefited from a diversified sourcing base focused on achiev-
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ing quality, value and speed. We are fortunate to have long-term relationships with our suppliers and agents. Some relationships have existed for over 10 years and several key suppliers have been partners for more than 20. I have enjoyed getting to know our vendors through both visits to Asia and our biannual vendor conference that we typically hold in the region, travel permitting. It’s been great to broaden and strengthen these existing relationships. Our sourcing base has been a key factor in successfully repositioning our brands and differentiating our product offerings. We benefit from our suppliers’ expertise, agility and flexibility, all of which help us maintain a strong commitment to quality while always keeping our customers top of mind. SJ: You were later named CEO of the company which then began restructuring work at its Abercrombie brand, relying largely in part on the playbook you formulated at Hollister. What did you see were the adjustments needed to the sup-