Dress Barn targets plus-sizers; test 8-store venture in same locations - new Dress Barn Woman stores to market large size clothing

Discount Store News, Sept 4, 1989 by Kenneth M. Chanko

Dress Barn Targets Plus-Sizers

Tests 8-Store Venture in Same Locations

STAMFORD, Conn. -- After "28 years of doing one thing and doing it right," Elliot S. Jaffe of Dress Barn is embarking on a new venture.

While the opening of eight plus-size women's stores, called Dress Barn Woman, is not exactly a major diversification move, it represents, as Jaffe himself pointed out, a noteworthy departure for the women's apparel off-pricer based here.

Jaffe, who is chairman and president of Dress Barn Inc., is quick to call the eight Dress Barn Woman stores just a "pilot" or "a test." In addressing future growth possibilities, Jaffe would only add, "I'm cautiously optimistic about this new venture."

The first unit, which is located in Stamford, opened last October. Seven others opened earlier this spring in: * Rockville Square, Lancaster, Pa., and the Franklin Mills mall in northeast Philadelphia; * Flemington Outlet Center, Flemington, N.J.; * Woburn Plaza, Woburn, Mass.; * Livingston Square, Fort Washington, Md.; * North Hampton Factory Outlet, North Hampton, N.H.; * Shelton Square, Shelton, Conn.

The units--at 3,500 square feet--are approximately the same size as regular Dress Barns and are purposely located within the same malls and strip centers as Dress Barn. The plan, said Jaffe, is that "we can just send that customer down the street."

Jaffe said he had been looking at the plus-size women's business for a while. "Some of our older customers who have shopped Dress Barn for years mentioned that they wished they weren't 'the forgotten woman.' We thought they deserved a store of their own. If we were going to do it right, that's the way to go."

Jaffe said that he never really considered just adding larger sizes to his current Dress Barn mix, which doesn't exceed size 16. Jaffe said Dress Barn Woman carries sizes 14 to 24.

For now, Jaffe said he's experimenting with the same mix of categories only in larger sizes. "Many of our vendors are in the large-sized business," he added.

Like regular Dress Barns, Dress Barn Woman carries about 80 percent nationally advertised labels, targeted to an older, career-oriented woman. Jaffe said he basically got out of the junior sportswear business long ago.

Jaffe admitted he's still learning the business. "We might fine-tune things later. We're looking now at sales-per-square-foot as well as the kind of turns we're getting. We're also looking at the timing of the seasons to see if the larger-sized woman has the same buying patterns."

Jaffe said he expects to add two to four additional Dress Barn Woman stores later this fall, but he wouldn't project sales for the existing units.

Dress Barn's fiscal year ended July 29, 1989, and the company expects to announce a 21 percent increase in sales to $248.9 million, compared with $205 million last year. Seventy-three stores were opened during the last 12 months, bringing to 408 the total number of units (including Dress Barn Woman stores) the chain operated at the close of its fiscal year.

In its 13-week quarter ended July 29, sales jumped 17 percent to $65.3 million, compared with $56 million from the 14-week period ended July 30, 1988.

Net sales had increased by $31.3 million, or 18 percent, in fiscal 1988 over fiscal 1987, and net earnings rose 22.7 percent, or $2.9 million, over the same period.

In fiscal 1988, Dress Barn acquired 10 P.S. Shandell units.

PHOTO : Top: Dress Barn is expanding into the plus-size women's apparel business withits

PHOTO : eight-store Dress Barn Woman venture that features a selection tailored for older,

PHOTO : career-oriented customers. Bottom: The stores are located in malls or strip centers where

PHOTO : there are regular Dress Barns, so "we can just send our larger-size customer down the

PHOTO : street," said Elliot Jaffe, Dress Barn chairman and ceo.