Fleece: hitting its stride - discount house marketing of men's clothing - Special Supplement: AM Apparel Merchandising - Company Profile

Discount Store News, May 3, 1993

Fleece is the Don Mattingly of the discount apparel business.

It's a reliable, long-term, consistent player that can occasionally hit the long ball in terms of sales and still serve as a rallying point for other team members. The category's viability is still secure, with retailers planning sales up for fall, but like the Yankee first baseman, the classification may not be able to replicate the star quality of its early years.

"Fleece is a huge business, and activewear remains our single biggest category in men's wear," says Bradlees' divisional merchandise manager Jon Devorkin, who has planned fleece up in the "high single digits" for fall. "But there has been a shift. For the last two years, licensed collegiate and pro merchandise has been the fashion leading area for men's wear. However, I don't see activewear being the tremendous growth area in the immediate future. Rather, young men's streetwear--grunge, hip hop and all that--is becoming the engine this year," he says.

Despite this turn of events, fleece will remain in the top of the line-up in the mass market, with merchandising managers expecting few errors in basic 7- and 9-ounce weights. It is anticipated that cut-and-sewn fashion goods will also turn in sharp performances come autumn.

Nevertheless, some shifts in rotation are expected. "The growth part of the business will be in the 9-ounce merchandise. Customer acceptance has been good," says George Needleman, sr. vice president at O'Fallon, Mo.-based Venture.

Marketing 9-ounce goods has been successful despite a price differential at most discounters of about $5. The full-price ticket on a branded 7-ounce garment is typically $7.99, while the heavier weight item often sports a $12.99 tag. "It's not only the fabric that has made the difference; customers also like the heavier garment because the specifications are better. Its fuller cut and the stitching is different," explains Needleman.

Last year, the Venture executive used Lee to fill the 9-ounce spot, but with that label's exit from the mass market playing field, Needleman is bringing up a still unnamed brand to fill that spot. The 7-ounce utility position will once again go to veteran vendor Hanes. Devorkin is also embracing heavier weights. "I'm planning 7-ounce up marginally, 9-ounce aggressively. We missed a lot of 9-ounce business last year because of atrocious deliveries, but I think our customer is ripe to be traded up. We've gotten away from 7-ounce in college and pro merchandise, and I think our shoppers will be more accepting of 9-ounce in the basics area as well," he says.

Managers at Riders, the Lee division that was created to serve discounters, certainly hope so. In fact, the success of their fleece line, made by Basset Walker, is in large part predicated on the acceptance of the beefier fleece.

"With Riders, we're trying to be the premium brand in the discount store area, so the program is mostly 9-ounce," explains Director of Advertising Melanie Albert, who says that her fleece business is on track.

"We've picked up all of the same accounts that Lee had except for one," she reports.

Fruit of the Loom, a long ball hitter in the 7-ounce game is also hoping to get into the record book with its 9-ounce merchandise. "We think we are going to have a dynamite year with the new product in BVD and Munsingwear," says Tom O'Shea associate marketing manager of casualwear.

"We're in all the Kmarts with our 9-ounce BVD program and we expect that business to really grow ... Munsingwear is at Sears now and we are working on adding distribution," O'Shea says.

While most fleece marketers are solidly behind 9-ounce sweats, some involved with the category are remaining on the fence. "We're entertaining the idea of going more heavily into 9-ounce because we've had some success with it," says Matt Sudhalter, divisional merchandise manager at Stuarts, "but I am a little worried that the customer might not understand why it costs more," he says.

Fashion fleece remains an important part of the mix for most merchants, but because of the new young men's influence in the market, few retailers are planning that business up substantially.

Bradlees' Devorkin, for instance, who is double teaming fashion with a private label and branded approach--labels include Spalding, Wilson and Everlast--has planned that business flat for fall.

Needleman, strictly a private label player in the fashion fleece area, is moving away from a related separate concept to instead attempt to score with items-oriented play. He is putting his power behind color-blocked tops and hooded sweats.

The licensed looks are still viable for many retailers, who expect the professional and collegiate franchises to continue to pay dividends for the remainder of the year.

But Devorkin believes its days of glory may be numbered. "We've seen a decline in collegiate, which means that the young men are walking away from the business. The pro stuff is still strong in men's, however," he says.

Most retailers are sure that fleece won't loose its status as a .300 hitter for at least the immediate future. Whether the category can muster its strength and hit home runs again is a matter of some debate.