Retailers begin to see big & tall potential - men's clothing

Discount Store News, August 17, 1992

The men's big & tall area remains and undiscovered gem in discounting. Traditionally, the discount market has reaped stronger sales in large men's apparel than other retail tiers. However, it has still been a slowly developing area.

In the next year, sales are expected to heat up.

A number of regional discounters are paying more attention to the category. Full-line discounters are looking to develop more brands in big and tall and a specialty retailer, Casual Male Big & Tall, has emerged swinging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Casual Male and Big & Tall Male were two separate operations of Casual Male Corp., one directed to the larger sizes and the other to regular size sportswear. The company declared Chapter 11 in April of 1990.

What saved the company, aside from its acquisition by J. Baker in October of 1990, was its concentration in the big & tall market.

Larry Kelley, who was named president and ceo of the division, credits Casual Male's unique place in the market and its "leadership role in the category" for its success since coming out of bankruptcy.

During 1991, in fact, Casual Male Big & Tall opened 10 new stores. Kelley reports a similar store opening pace will be sustained for 1992.

"We're doing well because we have the kind of updated, fashion merchandise that a large man wants," said Kelley. "The size doesn't come into play when you're talking about fashionable, wearable apparel."

Kelley also noted that because others have been slow to realize the market potential, Casual Male has developed a loyal customer following.

Another specialty retailer finding new customers is Today's Man. The company just went public and its merchandise mix leans heavily toward suiting in a market that is almost all sportswear oriented.

David Feld, president of the Moorsetown, N.J.-based chain, noted that its ability to offer a wide selection of hard-to-fit sizes is what makes it work. Not many people are addressing suit sizes like 44 portly and 38 short, he noted. On average, Today's Man offers 50 different sizes.

Matt Sudhalter, divisional merchandise manager, men's wear, for Stuarts Department Stores, agreed that big & tall is only now becoming a major portion of Stuarts' men's business.

Though it has had its share of problems (Stuarts just signed a reorganization plan and will be out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy by mid-September), the men's large size category has been a bright spot for the Franklin, Mass-based discounter.

"The percentages in the category are up," he noted. "We just started to concentrate on it this year by setting up a Big Guys department."

Currently, the stores have about six or seven racks devoted to the category, with expansion definitely in its future.

"We're well above our plan for the year in the category," Sudhalter said. He estimated the department was about 25% ahead of plan.

"Is is one of those hidden categories," he noted.

But, like Kelley, Sudhalter agrees that the big & tall customer is very loyal once you let him know you have what he's looking for.

"Once the big guy finds you and sees you've got good selection and prices, you've got him," he said. "The key is to let the customer know it's there. If you don't break it out separately no one knows."

Before creating its Big Guys department, Stuarts mixed its larger size merchandise in with regular sizes.

At Stuarts, as in many discounters, commodity items like underwear and dress shirts still feature large and regular sizes in one display area.

The brands familiar to big & tall men are known to the rest of the store as well. As the category does develop, maintaining an updated fashion look is a primary concern. While discounters have revived virtually all their apparel areas, men's big & tall can present a problem.

"I think there is opportunity for a manufacturer in this area. Many don't want to get into it, but the market could use a vendor to make a commitment to the category," said Sudhalter. "You can't just throw a couple of shirts together and expect that to be it."

Long Haul, Lee, McGregor and Laguna are among the brand names that do cross over to both arenas and a credibility and fashion to many discount big & tall departments.

Large size men want fashion looks with a more conservative tone than a young men's area.

When Sears left the tailored clothing business a few years ago, its focus shifted to more fashion-forward merchandise directed toward young men's.

However, Levi's and other brand staples continue to be featured in the men's big & tall area at Sears. There are currently more than 500 Sears stores featuring a cohesive men's large size department.

The brand issue is no different in this size arena than in any other. In fact, in DSN's 1991 Top Brands study, men's wear was the one category where brand preference was more adamantly indicated. About 66% of consumers said they preferred a specific men's wear brand, about 20% higher than the other apparel categories.

Added to this, a general industry agreement that larger-size customers--both men and women--are more careful shoppers reinforces the importance of establishing a brand presence and of creating a pleasant shopping experience for these shoppers.