ABERCROMBIE & amp; FITCH Retailer denies it succumbed to pressure

Its explicit catalog was pulled to free up shelf space, the company said.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Clothing retailer Abercrombie & amp; Fitch has stopped selling its sexually explicit Christmas catalog, saying its stores needed the shelf space for its new women's fragrance line, A & amp;FNOW.
But the company based in suburban New Albany said it wasn't responding to pressure from any group.
"This issue of the quarterly has been in stores since late October, and we moved it early because we needed room for the fragrance," Abercrombie spokesman Hampton Carney said.
He said the 280-page catalog couldn't be moved to another table because "every single inch of store space is so valuable now."
Carney said there has been no change in policy or editorial direction for the catalog. He said the next issue will be available in mid-January and will be "just as sexy and fun as before."
Claiming victory
However, the Cincinnati-based National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, which launched a boycott of the catalog, was taking credit for Abercrombie's decision.
The consumer group also called for boycotting the retailer's stores, signing an online petition and registering complaints via a national toll-free telephone number.
"We want the tens of thousands of people who have participated in the boycott to recognize that they can make a difference," coalition President Rick Schatz said.
The 280-page 2003 Christmas Field Guide featured photos of nude or partially clothed young people posing alone, in couples, threesomes and groups.