American Eagle Becomes Victoria’s Secret’s Unlikely Rival

Forget jeans. It’s all about bras, undies and sleepwear at American Eagle Outfitters. The Pittsburgh-based teen retailer is zeroing in on its small but red-hot Aerie brand — and is expected to amp up the expansion of the brand’s stand-alone stores. And why not? In the three months ended Oct. 31, same-store sales of the Aerie brand soared 21 percent, bringing same-store sales over nine months to 17 percent. American Eagle’s same-store sales gained just 9 percent in the period.