NEW ALBANY, Ohio — March 15, 2020 — Abercrombie & Fitch Co. today announced updates to its global store operations in response to the continued spread of COVID-19.

With the wellbeing of its customers, associates and communities in mind, and to help limit the spread of the virus, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will temporarily close all stores across its brands outside of the APAC region, effective March 15 in North America and March 16 in EMEA, until March 28, 2020.  Its locations in the APAC region will remain open. The company’s online stores currently remain open in all regions.

Due to the heightened uncertainty relating to the potential impacts of COVID-19 on the company’s business operations, including its duration and its impact on overall demand for merchandise, the company is withdrawing the first-quarter and full-year 2020 outlook issued on March 4, 2020, although it still expects material adverse impacts. The company is not providing an updated outlook at this time.

Fran Horowitz, CEO, said, “The decision to close all our stores outside of the APAC region has been done with a focus on the wellbeing of our associates, our customers, our partners, and our communities, and it is in keeping with our commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen.

Based on the significant investments we have made over the past several years in our people and our IT infrastructure, we have a robust digital business. We believe that our current capabilities will allow us to continue to fulfill our customers’ needs during this unprecedented period of uncertainty.”

Posted March 16, 2020

Source: Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

ATLANTA — March 16, 2020 — Oxford Industries Inc. — which owns and markets the distinctive Tommy Bahama®, Lilly Pulitzer® and Southern Tide® lifestyle brands — in response to the global COVID-19 outbreak, today announced the temporary closure of all owned retail stores and restaurants in North America, effective March 17 through March 30. The company will continue to pay its retail and restaurant associates during this time. In addition, the company has broadly implemented a strategy for associates in its corporate and brand offices to work remotely. Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer and Southern Tide’s e-commerce websites remain open for business.

“Our priority is and will continue to be the health and well-being of our employees, customers and the communities in which we live and work,” commented Thomas C. Chubb III, chairman and CEO. “Our businesses are well-prepared and able to execute changes as needed. We are highly confident that Oxford has the financial strength and flexibility to navigate these unprecedented events.”

Posted March 16, 2020

Source: Oxford Industries Inc.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — March 15, 2020 — lululemon today provided an update on its global store operations in response to the continued spread of COVID-19.

In light of the rapidly changing developments, lululemon announced the closure of all stores in North America and Europe, from March 16 through March 27. Guests can continue to shop on lululemon.com.

“We are living in uncertain times and we’re learning more about this virus every day. We are taking this step to help protect our global community, guests and people, and ensure we are doing our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Calvin McDonald, CEO.

“During this time, lululemon employees will continue to receive pay for all hours they have been scheduled to work and have access to lululemon’s Global Pay Relief plan. I’m proud of how our teams are working to create space for our guests to connect through yoga and meditation classes online,” McDonald added.

The company will provide an update regarding the impacts of COVID-19 during its fourth quarter fiscal 2019 earnings call, to be held on March 26.

Posted March 16, 2020

Source: lululemon athletica inc.

PORTLAND, Ore. — March 15, 2020 — Columbia Sportswear Co. — a global designer, sourcer, marketer and distributor of outdoor, active and everyday lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment products — today announced that to protect the health and safety of its employees, consumers and the communities where it operates, it will close its North America brick and mortar retail stores on Monday, March 16. Columbia expects these stores to remain closed through Friday, March 27.

Consumers seeking the products of the Columbia family of brands are encouraged to visit the respective brand e-commerce sites at: www.columbia.com, www.sorel.com, www.mountainhardwear.com, and www.prana.com.

“The health and safety of our employees, consumers and the communities where we live and work is paramount to us,” said Tim Boyle, chair, president and CEO of Columbia Sportswear. “During this temporary closure we are also offering catastrophic paid leave to our employees most affected by this virus in an effort to live our values of Doing the Right Thing for our employees, consumers and communities.”

In addition to the North America store closures, Columbia has taken many steps to carry out the health and safety advice from health authorities around the world. These steps have included store closures in select markets outside of North America, enhanced cleaning protocols in all locations, implementation of work from home plans to reduce health risks, facilitation of sick leave to encourage and enable employees to stay home and avoid the risk of spreading illness to others, and travel restrictions to limit potential transmission of COVID-19.

Columbia’s administrative facilities remain open to provide customer support with the least amount of disruption possible. As Columbia continues to monitor this complex and rapidly evolving situation, Columbia’s plans may change.

“Columbia has been in business since 1938 and weathered many storms by keeping its focus on the well-being of its employees, consumers and the larger community,” said Tim Boyle.

Posted March 16, 2020

Source: Columbia Sportswear Co.

DENVER — March 16, 2020 — In response to the global COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, VF Corp. today announced the temporary closure of all owned retail stores across North America, effective March 16 through April 5. All retail employees at these locations will continue to receive full pay and benefits during the temporary closure period.

In addition to its retail fleet, VF has closed its corporate and brand offices in North America until April 5 and is enabling all office employees to work remotely. The temporary closure of both offices and retail locations may be extended depending on the overall state of the COVID-19 situation.

“During this time of uncertainty and concern, our steadfast commitment is to do what’s right for our people, consumers and our global communities,” said Steve Rendle, VF’s chairman, president and CEO. “The decision to close our retail stores, as well as our corporate and brand offices in North America, is the responsible thing to do to help mitigate the spread of the virus through social distancing. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and follow the guidance of global health professionals to ensure we’re doing our part to flatten the curve of newly confirmed cases.”

VF’s actions in North America are consistent with similar operational decisions made in its EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. In mainland Europe, VF has closed all offices and retail store locations until further notice, and its locations in the United Kingdom are currently operating on reduced hours.

In the Asia Pacific region, which was first impacted by the virus, VF initially closed the majority of its offices and retail locations. Currently, the company’s offices in Greater China are open and approximately 90 percent of its retail store locations are now open for business. While retail store traffic has steadily improved over the past month, it remains down significantly compared with the prior year. VF’s offices and retail locations in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan remain open, but office employees are working remotely, and retail store locations are operating on reduced hours in some cases.

Consistent with VF’s long-term strategy, the company’s digital platform remains a high priority through which its brands stay connected with consumer communities while providing experiential content and service. In accordance with local government guidelines and in consultation with the guidance of global health professionals, VF has implemented measures to ensure the health, safety and well-being of associates employed in its distribution and fulfillment centers around the world. These facilities remain operational in order to support digital consumer engagement with its brands and to service retail partners as needed.

VF’s supply chain operations have experienced limited disruption to date as a result of the COVID-19 situation. Ongoing diversification efforts, such as re-directing manufacturing and materials sourcing, are underway in an attempt to mitigate potential future disruption. While it is not possible to gauge the full impact to VF’s supply chain at this time, VF continues to believe its global supply chain represents a key competitive advantage during periods of uncertainty and market volatility.

As stated in VF’s news release dated February 7, 2020, the coronavirus outbreak was not contemplated at the time VF provided its adjusted fiscal 2020 outlook on January 23, 2020. VF will provide an update as to the operational and financial impacts of the coronavirus during the company’s fourth quarter fiscal 2020 conference call in May 2020.

Posted March 16, 2020

Source: VF Corp.