Another national clothing chain is closing its store in downtown SLO

Casual clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch is permanently closing its store at the Court Street Plaza in downtown San Luis Obispo later this month.

According to a state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice, required in the case of a mass layoff, 40 employees of the store will lose their jobs as of Jan. 16. An employee of the store confirmed that will be their last day and all merchandise would be ”returned to corporate” after that date.

“Per the local law, associates were notified of the store closure on Nov. 17 and we also sent a WARN notice to the local government,” the store’s corporate office stated in an email.

The store, located next competitor Banana Republic at 980 Higuera St., is among other Abercrombie & Fitch outlets closing in California, along with at least two others, in Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara.

Both the SLO and Santa Barbara stores told The Tribune no special pricing or discounts would be taking place for the time being; merchandise can still be purchased online.

The Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) brand is known for its casual wear and accessories. The company has about 850 stores nationwide. It also runs Hollister clothing stores.

The closure news comes one month after another national clothing retailer, Express, announced it would be shutting its store at the Downtown Centre.

A&F was drawn to SLO as a well-to-do college town with 22,000 Cal Poly students, but COVID-19 pandemic dampened store visitation last year and expectations for the coming year.

Cal Poly recently announced this winter quarter that the university would offer only 10% of its classes in person. University Housing will host about 4,500 students, in single-occupancy rooms only, with masks required in public spaces and active discouragement of congregating.

Lack of foot traffic and the off-and-on closure of bars and restaurants in downtown has led to more vacant storefronts in the city’s core area. By one count, at least 12 businesses have closed since March throughout the downtown.

San Luis Obispo officials said that 353 businesses closed at the end of fiscal year 2020. Since June, 150 have applied for new business licenses.

A&F is not going out of business but is closing a number of stores this year. The New Albany, Ohio-based apparel chain (NYSE: ANF) announced recently it would be closing four flagship stores in Dusseldorf, London, Munich and Paris by the end of January.

The company’s stock is up slightly year over year Their most recent financial statement reported net sales of $820 million, down 5% as compared to last year, reflecting the adverse impact of COVID-19 on store sales.

Once memorable for its sexualized ad campaigns, Abercrombie & Fitch is said to have toned down its imagery and no longer displays nearly nude models in its advertisements and store displays. It is well known for using “brand representatives” for store customer service to be the “face” of the brand.

In 2015, the business removed its look policy, ending an “appearance and sense of style” hiring practice that stipulated attractiveness, according to a Bloomberg article.

The company rebrand included moderating the strong perfume smell as you entered with a more subtle scent, according to reports. At one time the “Fierce” cologne was sprayed throughout the stores and on clothing as a form of marketing.

John Lindt is the editor of the news website Sierra2theSea.net.

Correction: This story has been corrected to clarify the public notice of the store closure, number of stores nationwide, brand identification and store policy change.

This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.