Jay Schottenstein, executive chairman and chief executive of American Eagle Outfitters Inc., will receive The Visionary Award from the National Retail Federation at its 12th annual NRF Foundation Honors on 10 January 2027 in New York City.

The NRF, which describes itself as the world's largest retail trade association, announced the selection on 3 August 2026 (NRF press release). The award recognises Schottenstein's record of building American Eagle Outfitters from a single label into a multibrand retailer with more than USD 5 billion in sales across American Eagle, Aerie, Offline by Aerie, Todd Snyder and Unsubscribed.

NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay credited Schottenstein's leadership with turning the company into what Shay called a leader in denim, intimates and specialty apparel, according to the same announcement (WWD, 3 August 2026).

Schottenstein's role in the business is unusually broad. Beyond American Eagle, he serves as chairman and CEO of SB360 Capital Partners, executive chairman of Designer Brands Inc. — the parent company of the DSW shoe chain — and chairman of Schottenstein Property Group and Schottenstein Stores Corp. He was inducted into the World Retail Hall of Fame in 2024 (American Eagle investor relations, 2 April 2024).

The NRF Foundation Honors, held each January in New York, brings together retailers and suppliers for a fundraising dinner that supports the NRF Foundation's education and scholarship programmes. The Visionary Award is the event's headline honour. Past recipients include Tommy Hilfiger, Fran Horowitz of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Nike's Mark Parker, former Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and former Levi's CEO Chip Bergh (WWD, 3 August 2026). The trade publication Chain Store Age also reported the selection on 3 August 2026 (Chain Store Age).

Schottenstein, who has led American Eagle for more than three decades, will receive the award at a moment when US retail sales have been climbing. The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, a monthly sales tracker run with the payment-data firm Affinity Solutions, showed retail sales rose for the ninth consecutive month in June (NRF).

The 10 January ceremony will close an honouree cycle that began with the NRF's August announcement.