Rue 21 2012 Annual Report Download - page 14

Employees
As of February 2, 2013, we had 11,124 employees of which 8,317 were part-time employees. None of our
employees is represented by a union and we have had no labor-related work stoppages. Our rueCulture emphasizes
teamwork and the belief that everyone can make a difference. The value we place on our employees is one of the
keys to our success, and as a result we believe our relationship with our employees is strong.
Seasonality
Our operations are seasonal in nature and consist of two principal selling seasons: Spring (the first and second
quarters) and Fall (the third and fourth quarters). Generally, our highest sales volume occurs in the fourth quarter,
which includes the holiday selling season. Accordingly, cash requirements are highest in the third quarter as our
inventories build in advance of the holiday season. In addition, our quarterly results can be affected by the timing of
new store openings and store closings, the amount of sales contributed by new and existing stores, as well as the
timing of certain holidays.
Available Information
Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all
amendments to those reports and the proxy statement for our annual meeting of stockholders are made available,
free of charge, on our corporate website, www.rue21.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports have
been filed with or furnished to the SEC.
Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) and Board of Directors Committee Charters (for each
of our Audit, Compensation and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committees) are also available on our
website. The Committee Charters and the Code can be found at www.rue21.com, under the “Investor Relations,
Corporate Governance” tab. Any amendments and waivers to the Code will also be available on our website.
All of these documents are available in print to any stockholder who requests them via our website or by
writing to rue21, inc., c/o Vice President and General Counsel, 800 Commonwealth Dr., Warrendale, PA 15086.
The public may also read and copy any materials that we have filed with the SEC at the SEC’s Public
Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. In addition, these materials may be obtained at the
website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. The public may obtain information on the operation of the SEC’s
Public Reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.
The content of our website (www.rue21.com) is not intended to be incorporated by reference in this Annual
Report on Form 10-K.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Our business is highly dependent upon our ability to identify and respond to new and changing fashion trends,
customer preferences and other related factors.
Fashion trends and customer tastes are volatile and can change rapidly. Our success depends in large part upon
our ability to effectively identify and respond to changing fashion trends and consumer demands, and to translate
market trends into appropriate, saleable product offerings in a timely manner. A small number of our employees,
including our divisional merchandise managers, our Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager and
our President and Chief Executive Officer, are primarily responsible for performing this analysis and making related
product purchase decisions. Failure of these employees to identify and react appropriately to new and changing
trends or tastes or to accurately forecast demand for certain product offerings could lead to, among other things,
excess inventories, markdowns and write-offs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business plan,
results of operations and financial condition.
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