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Abercrombie & Fitch sweat shirts are displayed at a store in Phoenix. (AP) |
When it comes to flying, it seems that Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael S. Jeffries is obsessed with the details.
A 40-plus page manual that was filed with court documents in relation to an age discrimination lawsuit by a former pilot outlined a list of instructions for crew members aboard the CEO’s Gulfstream jet that stipulated everything from how to arrange the toilet paper to what type of cologne should be worn.
Among the details: male flight crew members had to wear a hat, sunglasses, gloves, boxer briefs and a spritz of A&F41. Jeffries also didn’t want the toilet paper to be “exposed” and the end square should be folded. As for current issues of magazines like Bloomberg Businessweek or Fortune, they had to be kept in the right side of the credenza. Crew members should always check for fingerprints on the credenza, cabin door, galley door, ledges and the cabinet doors in the lavatory. And the crew had to play the song “Take Me Home” when passengers entered the cabin for the return flight.
Details of the manual, first reported by Bloomberg News late last week, were part of the documents in an age discrimination lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2010 by former pilot Michael Stephen Bustin, now 55. According to the court papers, Bustin argued he was terminated because of his age so he could be replaced by a younger pilot more in keeping with the company’s youthful image. He had piloted Jeffries’ Gulfstream from February 2008 until his firing in December 2009.
A&F has dismissed the claims in court documents. Lawyers for Bustin couldn’t be immediately reached. Calls to A&F’s investor relations weren’t immediately returned on Sunday.
The flight manual comes to light as A&F is struggling to sell its preppy jeans and T-shirts at a time when fashion trends are shifting and a rough economy has left teens around the world on tighter budgets. A&F shares, which are hovering around $32, are down more than 30 percent since the beginning of the year. They have lost more than half their value in the past 12 months. A&F reported in August that its profit plunged by more than half in the second quarter as revenue at stores open at least a year fell 10 percent.
A&F also disclosed in August that it will put a hold on opening any additional flagship stores and scale back on the number of locations it opens abroad, in part to prevent stores in international markets from cannibalizing sales from each other. A&F announced in June that it was closing 180 U.S. stores over the next few years. The New Albany, Ohio-based chain had already closed 135 underperforming U.S. stores in two years.
Jeffries, who has been chief executive since 1992 and chairman since 1998, has been responsible for creating its sexy image, fueling lots of controversy. About seven years ago, A&F, known for its racy advertising and scantily clad models outside its stores, had to pay $40 million to several thousand minority and female plaintiffs who charged the chain with discrimination. The settlement also stipulated that A&F has to implement policies and programs to recruit diversity among its workforce.
As for the rulebook for his Gulfstream staffers, it underscores Jeffries’ attention to meticulous details, particularly how he wants his flight crew dressed. For example, hats should be worn only when the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). The brim of the hat should be two inches (five centimeters) thick and it should be pulled so that it’s about in the middle of the forehead. When wearing a winter coat, the crew has to zip the jacket up to the fourth button from the bottom. The lowest button should be left undone, but the next three buttons up should be fastened. Jeans should sit at the hips, according to the rulebook.
Brian Sozzi, chief equities analyst at NBG Productions, said that the manual underscores Jeffries’ overall management style.
“None of this is surprising. This story highlights how much control he has over the company, and how much he has hurt the company and how much he has hurt shareholders,” he said. A&F, for example, has been late to react to the slowing economy, particularly its move to curb its international expansion, he said. (AP)
<관련 한글 기사>
아베크롬비 사장의 '특이취향'과 집착 폭로!
한 전직 파일럿이 글로벌 의류기업 아베크롬비앤피치(Abercrombie & Fitch)의 CEO 마이클 제프리스를 상대로 제출한 법정 소송을 통해 제프리스 사장의 특이한 고집이 밝혀져 화제다.
40여 페이지에 달하는 이 법정 문서에는 제프리스 사장이 타는 전용기의 승무원들이 지켜야 할 규칙들이 화장지 배치방법부터 어떤 향수를 써야 하는지에 이르기까지 상세하게 기술돼 있다.
내용에 따르면 남성 승무원들은 모자, 선글라스, 장갑, 사각팬티를 착용하고 아베크롬비의 A&F41 향수를 뿌려야 한다. 한편 화장지는 드러나 보이게 두어서는 안되며, 블룸버그 비즈니스위크나 포츈 지 등의 잡지 최신판은 언제나 좌석 우측에 비치되어 있어야 한다. 승무원들은 항상 선반, 객실 문, 복도 문, 난간, 화장실 보관함 문 등에 지문이 남아있지 않도록 해야 하며 승객을 싣고 돌아오는 항공기 내에서는 어제나 “Take Me Home”이 기내에 흐르도록 해야 한다.
지난 주 블룸버그 뉴스가 보도한 이 설명서는 지난 2010년 전직 항공기 조종사였던 마이클 부스틴이 펜실베니아 동부 지방법원에 연령차별을 이유로 제출한 문서의 일부였다. 이에 따르면 부스틴은 기업이 젊은 이미지를 유지하기 위해 나이를 이유로 자신을 해고했다고 주장했다.
제프리스 사장은 지난 1992년부터 아베크롬비앤피치 사의 CEO가 되었으며 1998년부터는 회장직도 역임해왔다. 그는 재직기간 동안 성적으로 부정적인 이미지를 만들며 논란을 빚어왔다. 7년 전에는 아베크롬비 매장 앞에 인종차별적인 광고를 내걸고 심한 노출 의상을 입은 모델을 내세워 4천만 달러에 달하는 배상금을 인종소수자들과 여성 원고들에게 지금한 바 있다.
이번에 공개된 그의 전용기 승무원 규정집에는 제프리스 사장의 특이한 취향을 잘 드러내고 있다. 예를 들어 기내 온도가 4도 이하로 내려갔을 때만 모자를 착용할 수 있고 착용할 때도 모자를 푹 눌러 써 이마의 절반이 가려지도록 해야 한다. 겨울용 코트를 착용할 때도 단추를 아래에서부터 네 번째 단추까지만 잠글 수 있으며 마지막 단추는 반드시 풀어 놓아야 한다. (코리아헤럴드)
