Petite, large sizes and maternity figure in Spring plans - Special Section - The K mart Story

Discount Store News, Dec 8, 1986

Petite, Large Sizes and Maternity Figure in Spring Plans

NORTH BERGEN, N. J. -- Jaclyn Smith and Hunters Glen were just the beginning.

K mart ladies' wear merchandisers here have devised plans to keep the coordinate collections and the overall business coming on strong. Going into next spring they are following blueprints for a more powerful assortment of petite, maternity and full figure sportswear in stores that need it.

Full-figure and petite-sized sportswear are considered viable for the bulk of the chain's stores. Maternity has a smaller shopper base.

By January about 100 K mart stores will have petite sections. Next spring, the fruits of a joint venture by K mart and Jordache will be introduced: a coordinated sportswear collection designed for the bold, fashion-conscious full-figure woman.

And there's more. Maternity assortments are being reworked with new items, more fashion and revised sizing. In the spring of 1987, mothers-to-be will be able to buy maternity bras, apntyhose and panties, in addition to sportswear, on the floor of K mart stores.

Labels for the three and a half year old Hunters Glen private label program have just been updated. The game plan is to keep new private label groups on the drawing board in order to keep abreast of changing ladies' styles and silhouettes.

The successful development of the Hunters Glen and Jaclyn Smith lines gave the New Jersey-based apparel division the confidence in addition to the know-how to cultivate simultaneously maternity, petites and full figure.

"Hunters Glen was the test case. It was kindergarten, and Jaclyn Smith was graduate school," said Debra Grafton, vice president, merchandise manager, ladies' and girls' wear.

Sales on that Hunters Glen private label is projected to reach $400 million this year, Grafton said. Those goods include fashion basics such as shaker knit sweaters, stripped shirts and corduroy slacks.

The year-old Jaclyn Smith line appears to be enjoying similar success. Discount Store News' own annual top brands research revealed that 34% of K mart store managers consider Jaclyn Smith the best selling ladies' apparel brand in the department.

The best news came last spring when Grafton realized that the two labels don't cannibalize each other. "We were expecting Jaclyn Smith to affect Hunters Glen in spring so we planned down on Hunters Glen. But as it turned out we actually needed to have more Hunters Glen. That proved we have a loyal Hunters Glen customer."

A number of house brands have been launched between Hunters Glen and Jaclyn Smith. Some are still viable and others were dropped when the style they were designed to represent fell out of vogue. Among the more basic and long-running ladies' private labels are: Golden Wings, full-figure separates; T. R. Bentley, career separates, and the Christin Stevens collection for missy sizes 8 to 18.

The theme of coordination--collections that mix and match--worked in every case. Going forward, that same tactic of coordination will be applied to new labels and to new categories.

In lingerie, increased coordination is expected to lead to multiple sales and also create a gift business, Grafton said. Starting in the fall of this year, "We changed it so that as customers walk into lingerie, they see color in day wear and on the panty wall," she said.

The basic colors of white, Champagne and navy have been expanded to include fashion colors such as peach. "now it can be a gift business. A man can walk into the department and pick out a camisole and a matching bikini," Grafton added.

Jaclyn Smith sleepwear, introduced late this fall, also added to that gift wear appeal. The chain plans to introduce robes, pajamas and night gowns that can be purchased separately or as an ensemble at the two major gift seasons, Christmas and Mother's Day. Prices on the initial group range from $12.97 to $24.97.

With the sleepwear and handbags, which also came out last fall, the range of Jaclyn Smith (already in sportswear, maternity, hosiery and shoes) is complete, said K mart Corp. president Joseph Antonini.

The chain's development in petites, however, is just taking off.

"We believe petites has as much potential as women's [full-figure] sizes," said K mart apparel president Glenn Smith. That confidence in the category's wide appeal is being translated through "departments" in all new stores starting in the fourth quarter of this year. A total of 100 sections are pegged to be running by next month.

"We'll establish coordinated looks," said Grafton. The plan is to departmentalize petite sizes much like what is now done with full-figure sizes. However, the merchandising philosophy has to be adjusted somewhat. "The business is not like extra sizes. With petites, a sleeveless sweater is not important; it's pants, skirts, shorts--the bottoms--that are important," Grafton pointed out.

Because petite women have smaller proportions, the leg lengths and skirt lengths are the crucial elements of fit, she explained. In long-sleeved tops, shorter lengths are important, but figuring in at spring, summer and early fall seasons where sleeves aren't full length, petite women can wear a regular size top 85% of the time, Grafton said.