URBN vs GDS Comparison

Founded in 1970, Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters is an apparel and home goods retailer that operates more than 700 stores and e-commerce in the United States, which accounts for about 87% of sales, and other regions. Its retail nameplates are Urban Outfitters (23% of fiscal 2025 sales), Free People/Movement (26%), and Anthropologie (44%). Retail accounted for 88% of fiscal 2025 revenue, but Urban Outfitters also sells products through a wholesale operation, owns some restaurants, and operates a fast-growing clothing rental and resale business called Nuuly (7% of sales). Urban Outfitters primarily markets to young adults and offers products in categories such as apparel (66% of sales), home goods (16% of sales), accessories (13% of sales), and more.

GDS Holdings started as an IT service provider in 2001 then moved to the data center business with its first self-developed data center opening in 2010. The company now develops and operates data centers in China and also builds, operates and transfers data centers for other clients. It offers colocation and managed services and mainly targets hyperscale cloud service customers who take large areas of its data centers or even whole data centers under long-term contracts. It has aggressively raised capital over the past four years for expansion. Its data centers are located predominantly in and around the Tier 1 cities in China and it has also started an expanding into Southeast Asia. GDS listed on the Nasdaq in 2016 and completed a secondary listing in Hong Kong in 2020.