ABERCROMBIE TO REMOVE DRINKING STORY FROM CATALOG

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (Reuters) - Continuing to feel the heat from a
controversial two-page story in its quarterly catalog, apparel retailer
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. said Wednesday it would delete the story, called
``Drinking 101''.

``Our company does not support irresponsible or underage drinking and we
want to make that clear to our customers and the general public,''
Abercrombie & Fitch Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Jeffries
said in a statement.

Company spokesman Lonnie Fogel said in a telephone interview that the
company would also delete a page near the end of the catalog that has two
references to alcohol.

He said the company hoped to get the catalogs, targeted mainly at college
students, back on store shelves by this weekend.

Last week, Abercrombie said it would pull the 214-page catalog from store
shelves to affix a sticker on the front covers urging responsibility when
drinking alcohol and mail the sticker in postcards to consumers who received
the catalog in the mail.

But Wednesday it said it would mail a different postcard, one that greatly
expanded the original postcard and admits the company made a mistake.

The new advisory reads in part: ``Based on reaction to our recently mailed
`Back-to-School `98' magazine, it has become clear to us that some of the
content appears to some readers to encourage underage drinking or binge
drinking. Under no circumstances does Abercrombie & Fitch support underage
or binge drinking. Although it was not meant in a serious vein, we made a
mistake in describing a `drinking game' that could be interpreted as
encouraging binge drinking.

``We regret that this article has given some readers the wrong impression
about Abercrombie & Fitch's goals and concerns. Accordingly, in future
issues of the magazine we intend to discuss the responsibilities and hazards
involved in alcohol use and hope to work with advocacy groups to promote the
safe use of alcohol.''

The catalog raised the ire of advocacy group Mothers Against Drunk Driving
(MADD) and others, with MADD urging the company to pull the catalog
completely and issue a public apology for what it called promoting
irresponsible behavior.

``We are pleased that they are taking these steps to make right the wrong
that they caused in their initial catalog,'' MADD National President Karolyn
Nunnallee said in an interview.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett