AF began its operations in the UK less than two years ago

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A number of other US chains have entered into the UK clothing market and this has resulted in competition within specialised clothing segments such as footwear. A company that is doing well is US owned Footlocker that has been targeting UK High Street consumers. In light of the latter issues, other companies such as Tommy Hilfiger and Ted Baker are establishing in-store brands for products outside their normal offerings. It should be noted that the abercrombie and fitch market is highly competitive and that most companies are looking for ways in which they can reach new clients. Consequently, most companies have looked towards brand extension as one of the most feasible methods of dealing with this matter. Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) recently introduced certain cosmetic accessories and they have continued to grow in this respective market.Companies such as Next, Miss Selfridge and GPA are continually attracting market share because they are offering consumers what they are currently looking for.

Many individuals have become highly fashion conscious; both the young and the older generation. The issue is further compounded by the tendency to avoid traditional shops. Consequently, competitors such as Next, Woolworths and ASDA are doing relatively well.The clothing retail market is one of the most fiercely competitive industries within the UK economy. In order for abercrombie companies to stay ahead, they must look for ways in which they can offer an outstanding product or service. (Dibb, Simkin, Pride and Ferrell, 2006)One way in which these companies are achieving the latter is through their choice of purchase location. Independents, chain stores, fashion multiples and sports shops are currently characterising the clothing and apparel industry.

Besides this, the choice of location is usually linked to certain age groups. For instance, fashion multiples are normally associated with younger shoppers while departmental stores may be open to a wider variety of shoppers. In the latter mentioned outlets, men are penetrated a little more than are women except for a few exceptions. There are certain scenarios that seem to be lacking a competitive edge within this industry. For instance, the use of traditional mail catalogues is slowly becoming outdated owing to the fact that these catalogues are printed quite early in the season. Therefore, such methods cannot be able to accommodate the changes in prices synonymous with prevailing business conditions.While online shopping is slowly becoming an influential force in the abercrombie sale clothing industry, there are a number of hurdles that are yet to be overcome through such approaches.

First of all, consumers may be hesitant to give personal details about their credit cards across the internet due to increasing cases of cyber crime. (McDonald, 2006) Another factor that could be causing this hesitation towards online shopping in the clothing and apparel industry is the tendency for users to try out clothes before buying them. The latter issue may not be important when buying other products across the internet (examples include books) but this is an issue that is unique to what A&F are offering. Additionally, abercrombie shirts online purchases are determined through brand recognition. Since A&F began its operations in the UK less than two years ago, then they may not qualify as one of the market leaders in the clothing industry.