American Eagle Outfitters owned Quiet Logistics shutters 3PL operations, sources claim

Quiet, formerly Quiet Logistics, is shutting down its 3PL operations effective immediately, according to a LinkedIn report by supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive Brittain Ladd, citing unnamed sources.

American Eagle Outfitters acquired the company in December 2021, for approximately $360 million in cash, with Jay Schottenstein, CEO, stating that the deal “cemented a collaborative partnership that has meaningfully contributed to our financial results over the past 18 months.”

He added: “AEO’s unique ability to reduce delivery costs amid rising inflation is a direct reflection of the efficiencies provided by their innovative fulfillment model. Quiet Logistics has a highly experienced supply chain leadership team and I look forward to their partnership as we continue to drive operational excellence and grow the platform into a meaningful business.”

The retailer is now, however, pivoting back to focusing on its own volume, leaving a roster of brands looking for new fulfillment homes. It’s an interesting trend. For the past few years, many major retailers have been moving to monetise their supply chain by selling it as a service. But the reality appears to be that it’s difficult to serve third-party brands while managing your own retail volume.

Quiet Logistics, based in Devens, Mass., has fulfillment centres across the US where workers aided by robots fulfill shipping orders for digital apparel and lifestyle brands such as Mack Weldon, Outdoor Voices and Peloton.

It has been operating as a wholly owned AEO subsidiary, and did so independently. This arrangement was a mistake, according to Ladd.

“I was against the acquisition and I believed Quiet Logistics was going to fail. I wrote several LinkedIn posts outlining my concerns,” he commented. “I’m not surprised the company has gone silent. It’s proof that press releases and articles claiming that AEO made a “brilliant decision” in acquiring it were never based on reality. AEO wasted $360 million on a strategy that was never going to succeed.”

Quiet did not respond to our request for comment.

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Supply chain automation will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.