Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters is a lifestyle retailer founded in Philadelphia in 1970 and the founding brand of URBN, the public retail group (Nasdaq: URBN) that also runs Anthropologie, Free People and Nuuly.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Operating - over 200 Urban Outfitters stores in the United States, Canada and Europe, plus its online store
- Type
- Flagship brand of URBN (Urban Outfitters, Inc.), a public company - Nasdaq: URBN
- Headquarters
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (URBN headquarters, Philadelphia Navy Yard)
- Founded
- 1970, in Philadelphia, by Richard Hayne, Scott Belair and Judy Wicks (first store as Free People)
Company Profile
URBN today runs its brands through stores, websites, catalogs and the Nuuly rental subscription, and reported its retail estate at some 700 locations group-wide in recent counts. Because Urban Outfitters is itself a retailer - shoppers buy from its own stores and site - this page carries no marketplace shop box; the snapshot button above leads to its official store. The group's brand sites, including Anthropologie and Free People, are linked in the references below.
URBN is a portfolio of global consumer brands comprised of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, BHLDN, Terrain and the Vetri Family of restaurants. The group describes itself as a passionate, creative, entrepreneurial team, all about providing a unique shopping experience while inspiring and connecting with customers - and its store-design signature is preservation: rather than transforming buildings into something new, its stores strip back paint, expose brick and reuse original features as displays and fixtures, layering a fresh atmosphere over a building's own history.
Urban Outfitters History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
Urban Outfitters History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
What is URBN?
URBN is the corporate name of Urban Outfitters, Inc., the public company behind Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, BHLDN, Terrain and Nuuly. It trades on Nasdaq under the ticker URBN and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
When was Urban Outfitters founded?
In 1970, when Dick Hayne - just 23 - and his college roommate Scott Belair opened a small store across from the University of Pennsylvania. The first store was originally called Free People and sold second-hand clothing, furniture, jewelry and home decor to college-aged customers.
Where is Urban Outfitters headquartered?
URBN is headquartered at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city where the first store opened in 1970.
More Apparel Companies U
References & Further Reading
Looking for More Fashion Companies?
Browse the full A-Z directory in the Fashion Company Names index, or return to the Apparel Companies U hub for every U entry in this section.