ANF vs AAP Comparison

Abercrombie & Fitch Co is a specialty retailer that sells casual clothing, personal-care products, and accessories for men, women, and children. It sells direct to consumers through its stores and websites, which include the Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie kids, and Hollister brands. Majority stores are in the United States, but the company does have many stores in Canada, Europe, and Asia. All stores are leased. Abercrombie ships to well over 100 countries via its websites. The company sources its merchandise from dozens of vendors that are located in Asia and Central America. Abercrombie has two distribution centers in Ohio to support its North American operations. It uses third-party distributors for sales in Europe and Asia.

Advance Auto Parts is a leading auto-parts retailer in North America with more than 4,000 store and branch locations. About half of the firm's sales are geared toward the professional channel, with the remaining sales in the do-it-yourself market. Through its vast store footprint and distribution network, Advance manages thousands of stock-keeping units for various vehicle makes and models. The retailer primarily competes on the basis of inventory availability and service speed, making the operating efficiency of its hub-and-spoke distribution model critical to meeting customer needs.