American Eagle Evolves: Retailer Unveils Concept For Post-College Crowd

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Published: Thursday, October 20, 2005
Retailers in Search of Sales With Spin-offs
By Arthur Zaczkiewicz

NEW YORK — American Eagle Outfitters' specialty spin-off is the latest in a wave of new concept launches by retailers that want to extend their customer reach and pull market share from department stores and national chains.
...
Some of the recent launches and test concepts include: Jimmy'Z from Aéropostale Inc.; Forth & Towne from Gap Inc.; Ruehl from Abercrombie & Fitch; and Bigelow and Pink, two nameplates from Limited Brands. Polo Ralph Lauren is also testing Rugby.
The obvious goal is to grow market share and sales as well as the bottom line, and, for the publicly traded retailer, to drive up the share price. But financial success doesn't happen overnight. A new specialty retail concept may take at least five years to mature, experts say. Still, it's potentially worth the wait....

excerpt wwd.com

 

[Baizilla]

"worth the wait"

 

[Avant Garde]

ugh, more abercrombie/hollister/ae/aero style clones just what we need

 

[yourbestfriend]

AE used to be cool..back 5 years when no one in canada was wearing it..but now i hate it

now it has turned into what abercrombie is for america

 

[Fade to Black]

LOL this sounds like Ruehl part 2...

 

[lola belle]

Why, oh why oh why oh why must there be more American Eagle?

What have I done to deserve this?

 

[alwaysacitygirl]

I actually like Rugby.

... and Ruhel.

Granted, I don't like everything in there, but there are a few pieces that stand out to me.

 

[grayeyes043]

what's wrong with american eagle?
I mean the company hires people of all races, creed, and color unlike Abercrombie & Fitch.
The clothes are a decent price and they have sizes for most people not just super skinny people unlike Abercrombie & Fitch.
The clothes actually look good....I usually by all my jeans there...comfy and affordable.

 

[J'aime_la_mode]

Ya, I would take AE over abercrombie any day. I find the clothes at AE are better quality and less tacky than those at abercrombie.

 

[saraab]

yea, I agree with greyeyes... AE isnt as bad as abercrombie... the sales people are more friendly @ ae and you feel like your being treated with equal respect as with other places they don't really care

 

[jaimediane71]

AE also has some great basics. They're underwear, flip flops, and plain tees and tanks are great. Remember, some of us are just poor college students

 

[brian]

 

[60swildchild]

I just bought a pair of jeans at AE and am in love with them. I'm very tall and have a hard time finding anything that fits and this pair fits like a second skin.

 

[Trista]

This is why I would love them to do a post-college line, one with dressier clothes and wear-to-work items but also fun things. As far as the other lines go, Ruehl is in very, very limited markets, and A&F is recording record losses so I don't think there's going to be as much expansion of it or Gilly Hicks. VS Pink has evolved into being a juggernaut brand, not just innerwear but a total lifestyle brand with denim, bedding, suitcases, and more. Because most of the time it is just a part of a VS store (there are very few standalone stores), it's also a good move for VS because it can get the girls hooked in their teenage years, and then when they get bored with Pink they can move onto the other lines. As far as CO Bigelow, it's not a new brand by any stretch of the imagination. I am a former LB employee, and CO Bigelow itself has been around for well over 100 years. Quite a few of the products, yes, they are newer, but it's not a new brand by any stretch of the imagination. It was only in the last few years, I believe, that LB bought them.

As far as a secondary line, Aerie (their lingerie concept) seems to be doing really well. It's just started opening freestanding stores within the last year or two, and it's good for parents who don't necessarily want their kids going into VS.

 

[Desi]

don't they run that new company Martin + Osa. could that be what this thread was about?

 

[chaneladdict]

^ Yes. I have yet to see what the clothes are like.