Earlier this year, Gap filled its year-long CMO vacancy with the appointment of former Abercrombie & Fitch Senior VP of Marketing Craig Brommers. Brommers is set to begin his new role at Gap on July 25, but Abercrombie isn’t too happy with his new position. According to AdAge, the retailer has filed litigation against Gap Inc. for hiring Brommers, who allegedly violated his non-compete clause.
Per the clause, Brommers was prohibited to work for 12 specific retail competitors for 12 months following his employment with Abercrombie. One of those 12 competitors was none other than Gap Inc.
The lawsuit, which includes Brommers as a defendant, argues that Brommers “had access to trade secrets on upcoming strategies and campaigns” and “was deeply involved with developing marketing plans and budgets for the entire fiscal year 2016.” Abercrombie also stated that Gap’s appointment of Brommers was “intentional and malicious.”
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While it may not be a normal occurrence in the retail industry, this isn’t the first time a retailer has attempted to prevent an employee taking a job with a company that is perceived as a competitor. Just last year, Kohl’s filed a lawsuit against then-CIO Janet Schalk for leaving the company to work for Hudson’s Bay. A Wisconsin reserve judge later denied the request to stop Schalk from leaving her position at Kohl’s.
Neither Abercrombie & Fitch nor Gap have commented on the allegations.
