Can young men's bloom in spring? - Apparel Merchandising Supplement

Discount Store News, Sept 5, 1994 by James Mammarella

* Where have all the young men's gone? The departments, that is.

Today most discount department stores merchandise all men's wear in a unified presentation with little reference to age groupings.

Even when they buy with an eye on age differential, many discounters refrain from merchandising the younger or "contemporary" looks separately from the clothes meant for older or "traditional" shoppers. They don't see any value in distracting the baby boom customer from making an easy identification with casual teen-based styles. Why jeopardize this middle-aged customer's comfort, the reasoning goes, to appeal to a much narrower and less predictable slice of the demographic pie?

"Short term we have no plans to differentiate young men's," says Mark Minsky, senior vice president at Norwalk, Conn.-based Caldor. This chain tends to emphasize micromarketing in the form of items rather than lifestyle. When a look sells well. the store simply expands its assortment without a direct appeal to a specific age group.

Jack I. Hidary, vice president of merchandising at New York- based sportswear manufacturer M. Hidary, implies the blurring of the age line in menswear actually makes it easier for retailers to order, if somewhat harder to appeal to young tastes.

"Three to five years ago there was a very distinct age break," he says, "but now the young looks are getting neater--not so much the bright, super big size--and older guys want to dress cleaner, too.

"When hip hop was so big, the young man wore a tremendously oversized shirt, but the 45-year-old wore his regular cut shirt. You were talking to a young man; the 45-year-old guy is not going to wear a hot pink shirt.

"Now the pique shirt is in; there's not much of a difference between the shirts, maybe a slight print or cut difference. It's easier to choose now."

Green Bay, Wis.-based ShopKo's strategy is similar to Caldor's. Senior vice president of apparel and product development Skip Chustz says, "The way we handle young men's is really from an actives perspective more than a true lifestyle perspective." He states flatly that the chain has no plans to differentiate in the young men's category, "outside of a few items that would be trend-right."

Yet some mass merchants are finding that a young men's focus can move product and help differentiate their stores.

* New signs in Secaucus, N.J.-based Jamesway clearly broadcast "Young Men's Fashions." Items are featured on separate. four-ways and rounders. The chain began testing a direct appeal to young men last fall, added some real depth in spring '94 and will bring on more this fall and into 1995.

"We brought in some looks we wouldn't normally carry," says Jamesway general merchandise manager Bob Greenwald, "and they sold well. It was mostly in knit tops and woven tops: we sold more rayon shirts than ever before."

What separates young men's or "contemporary" from "traditional" items may be color, prints, silhouettes or other factors. "It depends on the fashion trend at the time," Greenwald says, leaving the predictions for '95 to others.

Competing for position as an economic but stylish alternative to department stores is an acid test for discount chain buyers. "Department stores can have departments bigger than some of my stores," Greenwald observes. "We pick an item here, an item there--and it can be very hard to make a full statement. Our buyer shops the market, tries to pick up the look, and rather than the whole department, we'll go after a classification."

The classification at Jamesway to date has been tops, but Greenwald indicates cargo pockets may be a hot number in bottoms this fall. He adds that though department stores have the edge in offering depth of selection, "On timing, we're about the same."

Pamida stores of Omaha, Neb. attempts to capture young men's customers with a contemporary selection that falls within its general men's wear assortment.

Don DeLaura, vice president and divisional merchandise manager for the 172-store chain, says his staff buys "by concept rather than by merchandise category," with both a contemporary buyer and a traditional buyer for menswear.

Pamida uses the concept buying approach in conjunction with a growing private label program to focus and build looks more effectively, creating the opportunity to merchandise by collection.

National brand power has traditionally been the cornerstone of the young men's business. Most discount operations, however, have difficulty securing the brands that count most with young men. At chains like Sears, though, branded accessibility has made jeans the foundation for separate young men's departments.

"We get them coming in for a Levi or a Lee and then they buy a top with it," remarks Tom Pavsek, divisional merchandise manager, mens sportswear for Sears Merchandise Group.

"We try to run it like a true young men's house," Pavsek says. "We concentrate on the 15- to 20-year-old; mom's in the store, she's buying for the son."

"We want to grow the profitable tops business," he remarks. Looking ahead to spring '95 he says, "I see more fancies, printed piques--and henleys will be absolutely terrific." In color, Pavsek says, "Young men's colors are actually more drab, more toned down than what the main floor guys are wearing."