Plus sizes big business - women's special sizes clothing - Special Supplement: AM Apparel Merchandising - Company Profile

Discount Store News, May 3, 1993 by Slom. Stanley H.

Seeking fashion and comfort, plus size women are propelling the special size apparel category into a highly lucrative business for discounters and chains.

It's certainly not a new department for discount and chain stores, but as largesized women look for better values during this unsteady economy, they appear to be turning more to this industry.

Clearly, value is an important reason for the expansion of plus size business in discount stores, but broader assortments are also helping to lure new customers.

According to Elaine Wally, a principal of Doneger Buying Connection, the plus size division of Henry Doneger Associates, discounters are expanding well beyond the basic tops and bottoms of yesterday. "They're bringing in some related separates and adding some career to their casual mix. They're also more focused on this customer and servicing her," explains Wally, whose 17-year-old Connection services mass merchandisers, chains, specialty and department stores.

Discounters are quick to agree. In fact, many are scrambling to find additional space to house the category.

"Our floor space [for plus sizes] is tight as it is," says Liz Levin, senior vice president/general merchandise manager of ladies apparel for Venture Stores, "The big question is where to put the department. We definitely recognize the opportunity, but the question is how to fit it in."

Venture, she adds, is analyzing the amount of space to be allocated to plus sizes. "Where it's coming from is the issue," she says. "My floor didn't grow, so something else has to go. Right now there isn't a lot of space to give so that's the problem."

Levin also says that it's been a steadily growing business, but "we're trying to focus more and more on it because we don't feel we've really addressed it."

Like Venture, Sears is analyzing its plus size business as far as re-allocation of square footage is concerned. The most success in this regard has come from re-modeled units. "We have many power format stores and re-merchandised stores and everyone of those stores allows us to have more space on the floor," says Deborah Vinson, Sears' associate buyer of dresses.

While Venture and Sears grapple for space for a developing plus size business, other merchants such as Bradlees are already further along in the category.

"In plus size sportswear, Bradlees has the largest assortment around of all the mass merchants," claims Celia Clancy, divisional merchandise manager, sportswear. "We have a separate department with significant square footage. We run career and casual sportswear."

Bradlees merchandises separates, jackets, skirts and pants in the plus size area, but merchandises plus size dresses in the dress section. The chain isn't expanding its floor space for plus size women's sportswear, Clancy says, because it's already pretty large.

Big tunic tops with leggings and stirrup pants are selling well, she says. She adds that the career business is also good. This includes merchandise from Bonjour that was "exceptional." It also has a group of Mirage jackets and skirts and shells that do quite well.

To promote the category, Bradlees features plus sizes in its weekly circular. It came out with a brochure to promote Special Size Week just prior to one of New England's major snowstorms in March, and Clancy describes the results as "wonderful." It featured two full pages under the headline: "This Is The Place For Plus Sizes," which was dominated by plus size sportswear. It also displayed plus size bodywear, dresses, swimwear, intimate apparel and hosiery.

How fast is the category growing? Vinson at Sears says that in 1992, it had double-digit increases which continued through January of this year. Vinton tends to lean toward career rather than casual dresses in her presentation.

"The most casual we would get would be in the upcoming months," Vinson says. That's when the chain will display shirt dresses and other summery styles.

In early April, Sears didn't have any casual plus sizes in stock, but it did have casuals in shirt dresses on order for the summer. "The only thing I would say is border line casual is some of the younger looks that I have tried."

"The career portion of our business has been growing in really better price points," Vinson says. "We maintain a strong $29.95 business, but the moderate price points a la department store prices, brands and labels are really where the growth has been."

The biggest success in career, she says, is in the multiple piece items, like the mock vest three-piece look, or a mock jacket dress. There are certain markets in which Sears stores mesh large sizes and juniors looks to come up with a strong presentation. "We're shipping these young looks in sports and jumpers and ties. They are unlike things we've had before and not an all-store buy. But it has added volume for us," Vinson says.

Doneger's Wally says fashions in plus sizes goes in cycles between career and casual." Right now we're probably a little more in the casual mode than career, but career is still an important category and has to be covered."