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ON A RECENT WEEKNIGHT, teens packed Aeropostale Inc.'s new Times Square flagship. Decked out in skinny jeans and Ugg boots, they scooped up graphic New York tees and plaid flannel shirts, and twirled for the video camera that projected their dancing silhouettes onto a 120-foot-long billboard outside.
Across the street, young pedestrians smiled and waved on competitor Forever 21's billboard, while a block away, shots of tweens at American Eagle Outfitters appeared on that retailer's 15,000-square-foot screen.
Welcome to Teens Square. In the past 12 months, the neighborhood has been transformed into a shopping mecca as Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Forever 21 Inc. opened massive flagships within steps of one another. Their launches follow those of pioneers Billabong and Quiksilver, two youth brands that leased outposts in the mid-2000s.
Retailers have reason to storm the revived 'hood. More visitors than ever are crowding the streets: 365,000 people come to Times Square daily, an 8% increase over year-ago levels, according to the Times Square Alliance. The throngs provide the stores with access to a flood of international teen tourists and their local counterparts, who hang out...