American Eagle Outfitters 2011 Annual Report Download - page 10

Table of Contents
We offer our retail customers a hassle-free return policy. We believe that our competitors offer similar credit card and customer service policies.
Competition
The retail apparel industry, including retail stores and e-commerce, is highly competitive. We compete with various individual and chain specialty
stores, as well as the casual apparel and footwear departments of department stores and discount retailers, primarily on the basis of quality, fashion, service,
selection and price.
Trademarks and Service Marks
We have registered AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS®, AMERICAN EAGLE®, AE® and AEO® with the United States Patent and Trademark
Office. We have also registered or have applied to register these trademarks with the registries of the foreign countries in which our stores and/or
manufacturers are located and/or where our product is shipped.
We have registered AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS® and AMERICAN EAGLE® with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. In addition, we
are exclusively licensed in Canada to use AEtm and AEO® in connection with the sale of a wide range of clothing products.
In the United States and around the world, we have also registered, or have applied to register, a number of other marks used in our business, including
aerie®, 77kids by american eagle® and little77 by american eagle®.
These trademarks are renewable indefinitely and their registrations are properly maintained in accordance with the laws of the country in which they are
registered. We believe that the recognition associated with these trademarks makes them extremely valuable and, therefore, we intend to use and renew our
trademarks in accordance with our business plans.
Employees
As of January 28, 2012, we had approximately 39,600 employees in the United States and Canada, of whom approximately 33,100 were part-time and
seasonal hourly employees. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.
Seasonality
Historically, our operations have been seasonal, with a large portion of net sales and operating income occurring in the third and fourth fiscal quarters,
reflecting increased demand during the back-to-school and year-end holiday selling seasons, respectively. As a result of this seasonality, any factors
negatively affecting us during the third and fourth fiscal quarters of any year, including adverse weather or unfavorable economic conditions, could have a
material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations for the entire year. Our quarterly results of operations also may fluctuate based
upon such factors as the timing of certain holiday seasons, the number and timing of new store openings, the acceptability of seasonal merchandise offerings,
the timing and level of markdowns, store closings and remodels, competitive factors, weather and general economic conditions.
Available Information
Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports are available, free
of charge, under the "About AEO, Inc." section of our website at www.ae.com. These reports are available as soon as reasonably practicable after such
material is electronically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").
8