American Eagle to open stores in Dubai, Kuwait

Mar 12, 2010

American Eagle on Thursday announced it would open its first stores outside of North America in the Middle East.

The teen clothing retailer, based on Pittsburgh's South Side, will open stores later this month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait City. The launch is in cooperation with Kuwait-based retailer M H Alshaya Co, which signed a franchise agreement with American Eagle last year. The agreement calls for M H Alshaya to open a series of American Eagle stores in international markets over the next several years.

“We are very excited to expand the international presence of the American Eagle Outfitters brand,” Jim O’Donnell, American Eagle CEO said in a prepared statement. “There is a significant appetite for the AEO brand internationally, and we are excited to bring our high-quality, affordable fashion to customers in the Middle East."

The 9,400-sq ft American Eagle will open in Dubai on March 16, and an 8,500-sq ft store will open in Kuwait City on March 25, according to a statement from the company. M H Alshaya operates 1,700 stores in the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, Cyprus, Russia, Poland, Egypt, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, according to a press release from American Eagle.

“We are very proud to introduce America Eagle Outfitters to the Middle Eastern market,” Mohammed Alshaya, executive chairman of M H Alshaya Co, said in a prepared statement.

“As a company dedicated to our customers’ needs we are always determined to bring in fresh and strong brands and therefore contribute to creating a most fashionable, cosmopolitan environment in the region.”

American Eagle Outfitters, which operates 938 stores in the United States and Canada, announced Wednesday that its fourth-quarter profit was up year-over-year, to $59.3 million.