American Eagle Outfitters - Fashion Company Profile

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., through its subsidiaries (AEO, Inc.), offers high-quality, on-trend clothing, accessories and personal care products at affordable prices - the original profile's summary, and the right starting point for this filing. The American Eagle Outfitters brand targets 15 to 25 year old girls and guys, with hundreds of stores in the U.S. and Canada and online at ae.com. Beside it, aerie by American Eagle offers Dormwear and intimates collections for the AE girl, with numerous standalone stores in the U.S. and Canada and online at aerie.com, and AE.COM, the online home of the brands of AEO, Inc., ships to more than 60 countries worldwide.

A March 2015 summary preserved in the original restates the position in the same terms: American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is a leading global specialty retailer offering high-quality, on-trend clothing. What makes this profile valuable as a directory record, though, is the year-by-year timeline the original kept under that summary - a compact history of how a single mall store became a lifestyle retailer - and this rebuild preserves its milestones in the section below rather than replacing them with a fresh paraphrase.

The Timeline, 1977 to 2008

1977: the first AE store opens in Twelve Oaks Mall, Novi, Michigan, a destination for those with a passion for the great outdoors. 1990: AE goes private and introduces private-label merchandise. 1994: AE goes public with an initial public offering of 2.3 million shares on NASDAQ under the AEOS symbol. 1997: defining denim - AE introduces signature denim fit systems offering a fit for everyone. 1998: AE launches ae.com. 1999: the first flagship store opens in downtown San Francisco. 2000: the 500th store opens. 2001: annual sales surpass $1 billion, and AE crosses the border into Canada.

2002 brings the 'Live Your Life' encouragement; 2003, two stores in Hawaii; 2004, the debut of the eagle icon; 2005, annual sales surpassing $2 billion. In 2006 aerie launches nationwide and MARTIN + OSA, a lifestyle brand for 28 to 40 year old men and women in hip, classic American style, is introduced. In 2007 AE moves to trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AEO, opens its corporate campus at 77 Hot Metal Street in Pittsburgh's Southside, launches aerie f.i.t. workout wear and the AE Better World philanthropy program. In 2008 MARTIN + OSA launches e-commerce and 77kids by American Eagle launches online, offering durable 'kid cool' clothing for kids ages two to 10 - after which, as the original cheerfully admits, the legend continues unwritten.

How to Use This Profile

For a shopper, the filing's practical core is the audience split: the main brand for 15 to 25 year olds built around denim fit systems, aerie for dormwear, intimates and workout wear, and - in the historical record - 77kids for ages two to 10 and MARTIN + OSA for an older customer. The original photograph is carried by reference below, and the company's and aerie's sites are in the References. Check current ranges and prices with the retailer, since a timeline preserved to 2008 cannot describe today's store estate.

The preserved editorial routes on this page are short but pointed: the names directory upward, and the company's financial page within Apparel Search. Readers comparing the American teen retailers of this era will find the natural companions in this same letter - Abercrombie & Fitch for the five-brand specialty model, Aéropostale for the mall-based 14 to 17 brief - and this directory keeps all three filings separate precisely so those differences stay visible.

Photos From Our Original Guide