Abercrombie & Fitch sells casual apparel and personal care products for men, women, and children through retail stores located primarily in shopping malls. Its fiscal year ends January 31 of each year. Financial statements for Abercrombie & Fitch for fiscal years ending January 31, Year 3, Year 4, and Year 5 appear in Exhibit 4.32 (balance sheets), Exhibit 4.33 (income statements), and Exhibit 4.34 (statements of cash flows). These financial statements reflect the capitalization of operating leases in property, plant, and equipment and long-term debt, a topic discussed in Chapter 6. Exhibit 4.35 (see page 322) presents financial statement ratios for Abercrombie & Fitch for Year 3 and Year 4. Selected data for Abercrombie & Fitch appear here.

Required
a. Calculate the ratios in Exhibit 4.35 for Year 5. The income tax rate is 35 percent.
b. Analyze the changes in ROA for Abercrombie & Fitch during the three-year period, suggesting possible reasons for the changes observed.
c. Analyze the changes in ROCE for Abercrombie & Fitch during the three-year period, suggesting possible reasons for the changesobserved.

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Year 5 ear 4 ear 3 Number of Stores Square Feet of Retail Space (in thousands) Number of Employees 788 5,590 48,500 18.3% 2.0% 700 5,016 30,200 7.0% ( 9.0%) 597 4,358 22,000 16.9% 5.0% Growth Rate in Sales Comparable Store Sales Increase