Popularity - plus - discount house women's plus-size clothing marketing - AM: Apparel Merchandising

Discount Store News, Oct 18, 1993 by Paul Demery

Plus-size merchandising is even more pronounced at a Kmart serving a similar market in Levittown, N.Y. Under the prominently displayed heading "Women's Sizes," plus is merchandised on a dozen rounders and four-ways along a wall display. The section ranges in items from embroidered 100 percent cotton denim shirts at $16.99 to career coordinate sets of printed jackets at $25.99 and pants, $19.99. Kmart generally maintains a 2,200-sq.-ft. plus-size section, accounting for about a fifth of its floor space devoted to ladies' wear.

Although it merchandises jeans, fleece and cotton casuals under labels such as Chic, Gitano and Hanes, Kmart relies mostly on private labels for its plus-size sportswear. That enables it to use its own designers to develop trendy fashions with manufacturers, Zimmerman says. "I want them to take me to the edge of fashion, and then we decide what to put in sportswear."

Research data indicate that the demand for plus sizes will remain strong due to a shift in the U.S. population toward a larger percentage of people who are overweight. As people age, they're more likely to gain weight, and statistics show that the largest age group of the U.S. population--the baby boomers--has reached the age when pounds begin to accumulate quickly. While the number of people "above their desirable weight" is only 7.5 percent for people aged 18-29, it rises sharply to 13.6 percent for people aged 30-44, and to 18.1 percent for those in the 45-64 age bracket, according to the 1990 U.S. Census.

As retailers and manufacturers better serve the women's plus-size market, they're building rewarding relationships with consumers. "It's a fun business to do," says Bonjour's Almquist. "The customer is appreciative of being able to come into the store and buy fashion."

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