American Eagle in store expansion of Aerie and new activewear brand

American Eagle Outfitters is expanding the footprint of its intimates and loungewear brand, Aerie, and the brand’s new spin-off concept. 

The apparel retailer and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield have signed leases for seven Aerie stores at the mall operator’s flagship centers in the United States, along with two adjacent standalone stores for Aerie’s activewear sub-wear brand, Offline by Aerie. Introduced last summer, the brand leverages the fast-growing women’s activewear category with an assortment that includes leggings, bike shorts, tops, sports bras, fleece, bottoms and accessories.

American Eagle opened its first stand-alone Offline by Aerie store in the Nashville, Tenn., area in the fall. It plans to open 25 to 30 Offline by Aerie stores this year, including stand-alone, side-by-sides and in-store shops.

As previously reported, American Eagle plans to open about 50 Aerie stores this year, for a total of approximately  400 locations by year end. It expects to have 500 to 600 Aerie stores in 2023.

“At AEO Inc., stores are a powerful tool for our omnichannel business and continue to be important for our brands,” said Andrew McLean, chief commercial officer, AEO. “Our approach to store openings is based on a deep understanding of customer and market potential. Future expansion in the Westfield Portfolio is based on achieving that potential and our core belief in engaging and serving new customers for both Aerie and the Offline by Aerie sub-brand.”

The new Aerie stores will open at the following locations: Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J.; Westfield Montgomery in Bethesda, Md.; Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie, Ill.; Westfield Plaza Bonita in National City, Calif.; Westfield Southcenter in Seattle;  , Westfield South Shore in Bay Shore, N.Y.’ and Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose, Calif. The locations at Garden State Plaza and Montgomery will also feature adjacent Offline storefronts.