Urban Outfitters Inc. names new CEO of Anthropologie after pandemic hurt sales

Philadelphia-based retailer Urban Outfitters Inc. has installed a new leader for its Anthropologie division after a difficult pandemic year at a brand known for clothing meant for dressing up and going out.

Anthropologie’s global chief executive officer, Hillary Super, stepped down Friday, the company said. Super spent four years with Urban, which has its headquarters at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia.

Tricia D. Smith, a 26-year veteran of Nordstrom, has taken over as Anthropologie’s global CEO. More recently, Smith had served since 2019 as chief merchandising officer of California-based apparel company Tilly’s.

Smith “understands the Anthropologie customer, and I’m confident she will successfully expand the brand’s equity and reach,” Urban CEO Richard Hayne said in a statement Monday.

The company is made up of more than a half-dozen lifestyle brands, including the namesake Urban Outfitters, along with Anthropologie and Free People. During the pandemic, annual revenue fell 13.4% — a $534 million drop — to $3.45 billion in the company’s fiscal year that ended Jan. 31.

Some of Urban’s retail brands performed better than others as COVID-19 forced store lockdowns and shifted consumers’ attention to homebound looks. Free People, for example, sells casual and activewear aimed at women aged 25 to 30, and saw its comparable net sales increase 5.7% for the year.

“This brand seems immune to the virus,” Hayne said on a March 2 call with investors. Its “business has remained positive throughout the pandemic except for a brief period” in March 2020.

But sales at the Urban Outfitter brand declined 7% during the last fiscal year, and they fell 18.4% at the Anthropologie group.

The head of the company’s Urban Outfitters brand, Trish Donnelly, departed in January, and Sheila Harrington, who has been with Free People since 2002, became CEO of both brands.

Anthropologie’s “business has shifted fairly significantly to being almost entirely casual,” Super said on last month’s investor call. “And as you know, that’s a big shift for Anthropologie.”

By the end of February, Super said on the call, the brand was seeing an “encouraging” interest in dresses, along with “dressy casuals” and “versatile clothing.”

Urban said Monday that, so far early this year, overall retail sales have increased “by high single-digits” compared with before COVID-19 struck. “Anthropologie sales have improved substantially but remain slightly negative,” according to a company statement.