Sunday, February 8, 2009

Anthropologie (Since 1992)

Anthropologie is a private company that was established in 1992 by Richard Hayne and is based in Trenton, South Carolina. Richard Hayne also co-founded it's parent company, Urban Outfitters, in 1970 and has been its President and Chairman of the Board of Directors since its incorporation in 1976. Another Company under Urban Outfitters is Free People. 
Anthropologie had a wide range of merchandise. Although they focus on women's apparel and accessories, they also carry furniture and home furnishings. Unlike Urban Outfitters, which focuses more on hip trends, Anthropologie focuses on professional, sophisticated 30-something women with a total family income of $200,000 or greater. Their clothing is very youthful and one-of-a-kind.
Anthropologie has grown fast and become very popular in the United States. They now have over 90 stores in 24 different states. Although they are somewhat new, Anthropologie now accounts for 50% of Urban Outfitters annual revenue, equaling at about $400 million in sales. They generally try to stay away from malls and prefer to locate stores on streets or wide open spaces.
Anthropologie has become a pioneer in retail for the fact that they intentionally avoid advertising. They do have a website and catalogs but they do not run commercials or print ads.