PHILADELPHIA AND FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA. — Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN), a global portfolio of apparel retail brands and physical shops that includes Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People, is making a major investment in its home market of metropolitan Philadelphia.
The company has announced that it will open a new facility for its Nuuly brand in Falls Township, a city located 28 miles northeast of Philadelphia in Bucks County. According to Urban Outfitters, the new facility will create 600 jobs and work in tandem with the existing 600,000-square-foot Nuuly distribution center in Raymore, Mo., that opened in 2024. Further details about the Falls Township facility were not released.
Nuuly is a monthly subscription service that lets patrons rent apparel from URBN’s various brands. According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, Nuuly represents almost 10 percent of URBN’s total net sales.
In addition to the new facility, URBN plans to invest at least $150 million in capital and create 450 jobs at its global headquarters campus at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The company has been headquartered at the former shipyard since 2006 and recently opened the 117,000-square-foot Building 16. Today, URBN employs roughly 2,500 staffers at the Navy Yard, which includes adaptive reuse offices, a coffee shop, cafeteria and a gym for employees.
URBN also announced it is retaining existing positions for employees in Lancaster and Indiana counties and may invest an additional $50 million for a new hiring round in Pennsylvania.
“Urban Outfitters was built from the ground up in Philadelphia more than five decades ago — and we are proud that this company is continuing to grow and create jobs all across our Commonwealth,” says Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who also announced that the Commonwealth has extended state-level Keystone Opportunity Zone benefits to URBN in connection with these announcements.
“URBN’s roots are firmly in Philadelphia, from our beginnings at 43rd and Locust 56 years ago, to our 20-year history here at the Navy Yard,” adds Richard Hayne, CEO of URBN. “Celebrating this anniversary alongside the opening of Building 16 is a proud moment for our company.”
Founded in West Philadelphia in 1970, URBN operates several apparel brands, its Nuuly monthly rental subscription service and Menus & Venues, a portfolio of restaurants and event venues. The company’s stock price closed on Monday, June 8 at $71.88 per share, up slightly from $69.71 a year ago.
— John Nelson