Founded in 1977, it sold branded sports apparel and outdoor sporting equipment until 1992, when it changed its focus to market its own brand of casual clothing. For all the company's success, American Eagle managed to muscle its way into the national consciousness without a foothold in Seattle, the country's flannel capitol. The West Coast invasion began this winter with two new stores in grunge's hometown. The numbers tell the story. Same-store sales gains have been astounding in 1998.
Inventory controls are strong, a sign of intelligent buying.
While Gap and Limited Inc . Gap's eponymous stores man the middle, while American Eagle and Gap child Old Navy hang out at the low end. The variation in style and quality, shoppers seem to believe, isn't the same as that of price. It's no surprise then that Gap sees Old Navy as it's biggest growth opportunity. No Gap division had store growth even one-third that over the same period.