Size-oriented boutiques reshape ladies' wear departments - annual report

Discount Store News, July 21, 1986

Size-Oriented Boutiques Reshape Ladies' Wear Departments

Discounters' efforts to emulate successful specialty stores by tailoring assortments narrow and deep has transformed ladies' wear departments into a series of areas sharply targeted to misses, junior, petite and large-size customers.

This strategy made it easy for discounters to zoom in on the season's hot sellers. It also aids efforts to increase sales by making a play for the various ladies' wear shoppers.

Petite-size clothing was one of the newest ladies' wear areas that discount stores have begun to hone. Target has carved out sections in some of its stores and Bradlees set up sections in 59 of its 157 stores during the last few months of 1985. Space was reportedly the only factor hindering a chainwide rollout.

Junior sections have become easier to spot. Bradlees latest prototype and Caldor's newer units showed the stronger focus on juniors.

Intimate apparel/lingerie departments and ladies' accessories have emerged as potential growth categories as discounters become more adept at matching fashion issues with a particular customer.

Caldor was one chain that completely overhauled intimate apparel and hosiery assortments with more colorful offerings and branded lines in an effort to bring the assortments in line with the rest of its ladies' apparel.

Gemco's efforts to place more emphasis on lingerie and intimate apparel meant moving the sections to the front of the stores, opposite the checkouts. And focal displays were devoted to ladies' panties, handbags and hosiery.

Large-size ladies' apparel is another category Gemco strengthened. After about five years out of the business the chain threw its hat back into the ring with expanded large-size sections in all of its stores. The newer departments were designed to be shallower and easier to shop.

K mart spun off a new division for large-size ladies' wear this year. The chain has planned to match the 20% sales gains it charted in 1985.

On the off-price front a crop of specialty chains are expanding rapidly. The Answer has grown from 13 stores to 37 in the past year and expects to end '86 with 50 units. A total of 100 units have been slated to be completed the end of 1988.

At least three other such off-pricers have expanded with all indications of eventual national presence.

The Limited's 293-unit Sizes Unlimited is the largest; the 20-unit Extra Special/Modern Woman chain was due to become bicoastal this year, and, the smaller West Coast-based Extra Special operation has planned six East Coast stores this year--for a total of 37 by year end.

Another contender for the budget off-price business is the Charming Shoppes' 130-unit Fashion Bug Plus stores, a moderate price to budget specialty store. The addition of 32 stores last year and planned addition of 25 this year underscored the potential retailers see in the category.

The K mart merchandiser pointed to 35 million large-size women. Of those 50% reportedly work, 80% are married and as a group they spend some $8 billion on clothing.

As at other chains, K mart's approach in apparel is to develop private label. In ladies' wear that approach landed the national crayons brand junior line into 1,400 stores starting last fall. The chain had tested the line in 500 stores.

K mart's exclusive Jaclyn Smith line was expanded in the spring of this year. The private label line is now about a year old and includes maternity wear in addition to the misses clothes, shoes and pantyhose bearing the label.

Caldor's revamped apparel approach prompted the chain to drop the Marc Robbins name that had been used in both hard and soft goods from the apparel line-up. The chain debuted a cache of ladies' wear house labels including Cleo, Spirit, Spirit Sport and Pembrooke Classics.

Each label represented a specific portion of the business. Cleo, for example, was designed for a contemporary, woman who has outgrown juniors but is more daring than misses, a chain merchandiser explained.

A beefed-up presentation, a narrow and deep assortment and a new private label program was also the equation at Fishers Big Wheel. The prototype that was unveiled late last year featured more focal displays in apparel. The private label was due in late spring.