Urban Outfitters, Inc.

Philadelphia -- Urban Outfitters Inc.’s third-quarter profit fell 31% amid a decline in same-store sales and as merchandise markdowns continued to weigh on margins.

For the quarter ended Oct. 31, Urban Outfitters posted earnings of $50.7 million, down from $73.1 million in the year-ago period.

Gross margin narrowed to 35.4% from 41.1%, partly due to increased merchandise markdowns at Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. Total inventories grew by $78 million.

PHILADELPHIA — Urban Outfitters, which caters to a clientele with a unique and forward-looking approach to fashion and lifestyle merchandise, missed the mark during the second quarter, reporting a 21% profit decline and a same-store sales slip of 2%.

The company reported that earnings for the quarter were $56.7 million compared $71.7 million a year earlier. The company blamed increased expenses related to investments in e-commerce, retail catalogs and technology for the performance slip.

Philadelphia -- Urban Outfitters said Thursday that Stephen Murray has resigned as global president of the Urban Outfitters brand.

The company said Murray plans to return to London and "pursue an opportunity with a wholesale business having an international focus."

Urban Outfitters CEO Glen Senk will take on Murray's duties until a replacement is found, the company said.

Indianapolis -- MID Retail said Wednesday that Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters has selected its Advanced Allocation Software to forecast and distribute merchandise for all store locations across its Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People brands.

MID Retail provides software solutions primarily for Merchandise Planning, Store Planning and Allocation, Fashion Replenishment and Assortment Planning applications for large retailers and national chains.

Indianapolis -- MID Retail announced Urban Outfitters has selected MID Advanced Allocation Software to forecast and distribute merchandise for all store locations across its Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People brands. The MID solution was designed to help multi-store, multi-sku retailers increase accuracy, efficiency and profitability. The system includes both pack and size optimization modules for accurate sku-level allocation and replenishment.

Executives from The Container Store and Urban Outfitters are among the retailers who will be honored at the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention and EXPO, or BIG Show, which will be held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, Jan. 9-12, 2011.

The recipients will accept their awards during the show’s Annual Retail Industry Luncheon on Tuesday, Jan. 11.