Dec 16 - U.S. teen clothing retailer Aeropostale Inc has hired Barclays Capital as a strategic adviser to shore up its takeover defenses in the event it got an approach from private equity firms, the New York Post reported, citing a person close to the situation.

Aeropostale's flagship store in Times Square

"Management is in this for the long haul, and they want the company to stay public," the person told The Post.

Long a high-flyer among teen retailers -- with fickle customers clamoring for ever-changing fashions -- Aeropostale has recently hit a rough patch, evidenced by a 1 percent decline in November same-store sales after a 2 percent decline in October.

Aeropostale, which operates 885 stores in 49 states, was not available to comment.

(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Dan Lalor)