"[ANF] CEO and Chairman Mike Jeffries commented on the second quarter performance. “The second quarter was more difficult than expected due to weaker traffic and continued softness in the female business, consistent with what others have reported. In that context we are planning sales, inventory and expenses conservatively for the remainder of the year.”"
“Continued softness in the female business?” Sounds like a recipe for these guys underperforming their peers, with no hard catalysts in sight. I can see that Abercrombie hasn’t been aiming to please.