American Eagle Outfitters makes its debut landing in Singapore

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS (AEO) has made its debut in Singapore as an anchor tenant at VivoCity via its Singapore partner — Star 360 Holdings Pte Ltd (STARTHREESIXTY).

Since 2011, AEO has launched and made presence in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Korea. Why only now in Singapore?

Kareem Gahed, AEO’s vice-president, Asia-Pacific & Global Country Licensing, told Retail Asia: “For us it’s about looking at macro factors, timing and finding the right partner. We believe we have something to offer to the Singaporean market. American casual wear is received well worldwide and in our Asian markets. We did our due diligence and found a great partner. Plus, the retail space became available.”

AEO’s Singapore partner, STARTHREESIXTY has wholly-owned subsidiaries in 17 markets, representing more than 20 premium brands such as Cole Haan, Birkenstock, MBT and Naturalizer. It owns and operates more than 70 specialty stores and distributes to more than 12,500 points of sale worldwide. STARTHREESIXTY is also the owner of global footwear brand, Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT).

“We are thrilled to enter the vibrant Singapore market together with STARTHREESIXTY as our exclusive partner. We strongly believe that, with STARTHREESIXTY’s extensive experience in the Singapore retail scene, American Eagle Outfitters is poised to become a key driving force for the youth culture here. Our prime location in VivoCity also offers us the right audience whom we are constantly bringing in suitable products for a dynamic shopping experience,” said Gahed.

The AEO brand celebrates the vivacious, youthful spirit. With crafted, high-quality jeans at its core, AEO’s full collection includes graphic T-shirts, accessories, outerwear, footwear and more, all targeted towards the 15-25-year-old customer.

“We want AEO to be known as an American casual brand that offers great value and a great customer experience. It is affordable wear that stays very true to the American DNA. It’s democratic and appeals to a wide audience,” said Gahed.

The secret to AEO’s success? “Staying true to our heritage. We also want our customers to have a great store experience. With Singapore’s ‘beach-culture’ due to the hot climate in this region, Singapore customers love shorts. On top of that, we have variety and we hope that people come into our store and go out with multiple outfits.”

Currently, there are more than 900 AEO stores in the US and Canada and over 150 aerie stores. International expansion brings AEO to customers across the world. The first AEO international stores opened with great success in March 2010 in Dubai and Kuwait. As of the end of March 2015, there are approximately 105 licensed AEO stores in over 17 countries and more than 80 wholly-owned stores in Canada, Mexico, China, Hong Kong and the UK.

AEO also sells merchandise via e-commerce at ae.com and aerie.com, which are extensions of the brand lifestyles conveyed in its stores. AEO currently ships to more than100 countries.