American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

Greetings and welcome to the American Eagle Outfitters first quarter 2019 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. If anyone should require operator assistance during the conference, please press star zero on your telephone keypad. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to your host, Ms. Judy Meehan, Vice President of Investor Relations for American Eagle Outfitters. Thank you. You may begin.

Good morning, everyone. Joining me today for our prepared remarks are Jay Schottenstein, Chief Executive Officer, Chad Kessler, AE Global Brand President, Jen Foyle, Aerie Global Brand President, and Bob Mador, Chief Financial Officer. Before we begin today's call, I need to remind you that we will make certain forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon information that represents the company's current expectations or beliefs. The results, I actually realize, may differ materially based on risk factors included in our SEC filings. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise except as required by law. Also, please note that during this call in India, a company impressed release certain financial metrics are presented on both a GAAP and non-GAAP-adjusted basis. Reconciliations of adjusted results to the GAAP results are available in the tables attached to the earnings release, which is posted on our corporate website, aeoinc.com, in the investor relations section. Here you can also find the first quarter investment presentation. And now I'd like to turn the call over to Jay.

Okay. Thanks, Judy, and good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. I'm very pleased with our first quarter results. Fails and earnings increased to last year and exceeded our guidance. This was the 17th consecutive quarter of record revenue and positive comparable sales growth. I emphasize 17 straight quarters. Both American Eagle and Erie have now delivered multi-year comp growth, which is proof that our strategic growth priorities are delivering strong results. We are experiencing positive comps in all channels. Most importantly, our results are a positive report card from customers. Our success is a direct result of initiatives to grow our brands, strengthen our customer connection, and deliver the very best merchandise collections. Those efforts are delivering returns. Last year, we made ambitious investments in our field talent to ensure that customers get a great shopping experience. As a result, our store business delivered positive comps for the sixth consecutive quarter. We were early investors in technology and omnichannel capabilities and now have a $1 billion-plus digital business, which is growing rapidly. This year, we are continuing those investments with an upgraded platform. We remain focused on our strategic growth pillars To remind you, our priorities include go the American Eagle brand, accelerate the expansion of Aerie, further elevate the customer experience and deliver strong financial returns while operating within a strong and unified corporate culture. Before I turn it over to the team to provide more details on our growth strategies, I'd like to provide my perspective. Over the past several years, we've been operating in a highly disrupted industry. where many brands and retailers have struggled or closed. During this time, we've been strengthening our business and winning market share. We made the right investments and focused our efforts on the things that matter, our merchandise, omni-channel capabilities, and customer experience. As a result, we have enhanced our competitive advantage and transformed our business. American Eagle has solidified its leadership with a winning signature jeans collection and customer first brand platform. With Aerie, we built one of the most relevant new brands and best growth concepts in the market today, which is fueled by the deep emotional connection our customers have with that brand. We've accomplished a lot in the past several years, but we are not slowing down. Today, we are better positioned than ever to capitalize on the disruption across the industry. In addition to our strong brands, we have the best talent, strong financials, and free cash flow, and an operation infrastructure to support further growth. If I sit here today, I'm more confident than ever in our near-term and long-term opportunities. We are focused on profitable growth and driving shareholder returns. Thanks to the team for outstanding execution. And now I'll turn the call to Chad.