WHY BRICK-AND-MORTAR PLUS-SIZE STORES MATTER
For their customers, a physical store can make a world of difference
So you have a party to attend tonight and nothing to wear. Where do you go shopping? For plus-size women, the answer might be nowhere.
According to The NPD Group/ Consumer Tracking Services, the plus-size market grew 6% yearover-year in 2016, with sales reaching $21.4 billion. Designers like Christian Siriano and Prabal Gurung are partnering with retailers like Lane Bryant.
Target’s upcoming collaboration with Victoria Beckham features a selection of plus-size offerings. (The collection launched this month and features a number of looks that are available in sizes up to 3X, a first for the designer.) Melissa McCarthy wore a top from her plus-size Seven7 line on the red carpet last month.
Plus-size model Ashley Graham walked in Michael Kors’ show at New York Fashion Week in February.
But as the options for the plussize consumer expand from brands and designers, it’s still lagging behind in one of the most basic areas of retail: The brickand-mortar store.
“That creates a big problem in our community,” says Gabi Gregg, a plus-size fashion blogger. “Sometimes you have a last-minute event or something you want to go to, and you have nothing to wear, and you have nowhere to shop.”
Some retailers, such as Abercrombie & Fitch or Lululemon, don’t offer a plus-size section and those that do often have limited in-store options.
And when women are looking for fashion-forward clothes in sizes 24+, the options drop sharply. Even when the clothes are there, the segregated and limited selection often offers a negative experience.
“A lot of times when you’re in a department store or a mainstream store like Forever 21, you kind of feel left out, like they don’t care about the plus-size customer the way they have the store set up,” Gregg notes. “And so that’s annoying. We’re still forced to shop where they put our clothing, so I still go there once in a while, but it’s not the best experience.”
Though it seems like the closures of hundreds of store locations at major retailers is routine in the news cycle now, the plussize market is dipping its toes into the brick-and-mortar world. Plus-size brand Eloquii opened a pop-up store in the Washington, D.C., area and is eyeing a nationwide expansion. Meanwhile, J.C. Penney has expanded its offerings with “The Boutique,” a large and modern in-store plus-size section. Plus-size store Torrid is opening a number of additional stores around the country this month. It’s a small start, but it could make a difference to women who have had so few options in the past.
“I hear day-in and dayout that there’s a decline in mall traffic, and everything ’s moving online, so it does seem counterintuitive that anyone would try to open brick-andmortar let alone (for) a category that has been ignored for quite some time,” says Gabriella Santaniello, president and founder of retail research firm A-Line partners. “But I think providing an environment where she can go in and feel good about herself is really important. This customer is just starving for the experience. I think to provide that for her has been revolutionary in the market.” Eloquii CEO Mariah Chase says her customer base asked for brick-and-mortar stores repeatedly, so they decided to test a market. “They wanted to take what they loved about our site — which is that we’re fashion-first, we give her a lot of options, and the sense of community ... and translate that into a physical presence,” Chase says. “There’s a unique value-proposition that a store provides, which is that she can see and touch and try the merchandise.” “The customer response has been phenomenal,” she says, noting that the early March opening weekend had lines for the fitting rooms. Chase adds that 2017 is a “year of experimentation,” but they’re looking to expand to more brick-and-mortar locations across the country. “We are profitable thus far in, which is also really exciting.” Meanwhile at J.C. Penney, plus size sales performed better than the rest of women’s apparel combined in 2016, according to chief merchant John Tighe.
So while the retailer is closing some brick-and-mortar locations, they are seeing success with The Boutique, a 980- to 2,800-squarefoot area of the stores that house the plus-size selection.
They’ve partnered with designers like Ashley Nell Tipton, who was the first plus-size designer to win Project Runway.
“We believe the demand for plus-size fashion will continue to grow,” Tighe says, noting that special size markets “keep our brick-and-mortar stores relevant as plus-size customers prefer to try their clothes on before committing to a purchase.”
Kaye Toal, a BuzzFeed writer who covers plus-size issues, sees bigger benefits to having more plus-size stores than just choice and convenience.
“Plus-size vendors being only online underlines this social expectation that fat bodies stay hidden,” she says. “With fewer physical spaces that are created for us and celebrate us, where we are welcome and our needs are met, we are being told implicitly that we don’t deserve those spaces at all. This is obviously not true.”
“For plus-size as a whole we’re definitely still moving towards more body positivity and more acceptance,” Santaniello says, noting there’s seemingly less stigma attached to plus-size retailers than in years past. “(But) certain high-end designers aren’t there yet. I think this is just the beginning.”
For Toal, the inclusivity and visibility offered by more brickand-mortar stores would be a step forward for the community.
“I would love to have as many options, at as many price points, as my straight-size friends,” she says.