Jump to content

Urban Outfitters

From Alfawiki
Urban Outfitters, Inc.
Company typePublic
IndustryRetail
Founded1970; 56 years ago (1970)
FounderRichard Hayne, Judy Wicks, Scott Belair
Headquarters
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
United States
Area served
United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Western Europe, Poland, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar
Key people
Francis Pierrel (former president)
ProductsFashion apparel, footwear, beauty and wellness items, accessories, activewear, outdoor gear, home goods, music formats (vinyl records and cassettes)
Websitewww.urbanoutfitters.com

Urban Outfitters, Inc. (traded as URBN) is a global lifestyle retail company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] The brand operates across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, several Western European nations, Poland,[2] as well as in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. Urban Outfitters primarily appeals to young adult consumers by offering a diverse range of products including men's and women's fashion apparel, footwear, beauty and wellness items, accessories, activewear and outdoor gear, home goods, and music formats such as vinyl records and cassettes.

Originally established in 1970 under the name Free People by founders Richard Hayne, Judy Wicks, and Scott Belair as part of an entrepreneurship course at the University of Pennsylvania, the company rebranded to Urban Outfitters and officially incorporated in 1976.[3]

Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) manages a portfolio of retail brands encompassing Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, BHLDN, and the Vetri Family restaurant group. A significant portion of the products sold across these brands are created and manufactured by URBN’s wholesale division under various proprietary labels.[4]

Corporate history

During the 1970s, Dick Hayne launched a retail store named Free People in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the business expanded to occupy two storefronts, the name was changed from Free People to Urban Outfitters.[5]

File:Urban Outfitters Barrington Street Halifax.jpg
Urban Outfitters location in Halifax, Nova Scotia

In 2007, Urban Outfitters was honored with the National Preservation Honor Award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its Corporate Office Campus situated at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.Template:Why[6]

By 2011, the company partnered with Austrian entrepreneur Florian Kaps, who secured rights to produce a limited run of 700 units of the discontinued Polaroid ONE600 instant camera and Type 779 instant film, offering these as exclusive editions.[7] In January 2013, Urban Outfitters engaged the lobbying firm Abraham & Roetzel, led by former Republican Senator Spencer Abraham, to represent its interests in Washington, D.C., particularly concerning retail industry legislation.[8]

Facing a decline in same-store sales and customer visits, the company announced in Q4 2015 its intention to acquire the Vetri Family restaurant group based in Philadelphia. This move marked a strategic diversification into the food service sector. The acquisition included establishments such as Amis Trattoria, Bar Amis, and Pizzeria Vetri. Pizzeria Vetri has two outlets in Philadelphia and additional locations in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Devon, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.[9]

In 2019, Urban Outfitters attracted notice by offering used VHS tapes for $40 each.[10] That same year saw the introduction of Nuuly, a subscription-based clothing rental service. Subsequently, Urban Outfitters rolled out Nuuly Thrift, an online resale platform allowing customers to buy and sell apparel and accessories for women, men, and children from URBN brands as well as other labels.[11]

As of 2020, Urban Outfitters has not publicly revealed which manufacturing facilities produce its clothing lines.[12] Additionally, the company operates without a dedicated human resources department.[1]

In December 2022, it was announced that Francis Pierrel would be leaving his role as president of Urban Outfitters.[13][14]

Criticism

Urban Outfitters has faced numerous complaints and criticism, primarily from religious, ethical, and ethnic advocacy organizations. These include a local branch of the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League, and representatives of the Navajo Nation, all raising concerns about certain products offered by the retailer.

In January 2007, URBN discontinued sales of keffiyehs after the Jewish blog Jewschool criticized the company for labeling the item as an “anti-war woven scarf”.

Labor practices

On November 27, 2009, Swedish media reported that URBN had circumvented collective bargaining rights at its Stockholm location by terminating all 38 employees and subsequently rehiring them through the employment agency Academic Work. This action sparked calls from ombudsman Jimmy Ekman for stricter legislation to prevent companies from undermining collective bargaining agreements in similar ways.

In 2019, a former executive of Chinese heritage with four decades of service filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging discrimination based on ethnicity and age.

By 2021, Urban Outfitters scored only between 11% and 20% on the Fashion Transparency Index. Furthermore, there is no documented proof that the company guarantees living wages for its workforce.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Philly
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Poland
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :0
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :1
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ↑ Karen von Hahn, "Mama, don't take my Polaroid away", Globe and Mail, page L3, September 5, 2009
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

External links

Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 359: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').

Template:Philadelphia Corporations Template:Urban Outfitters Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 159: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Urban_Outfitters&oldid=32179"