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Lingerie sales continue to heat up the register
By Kathleen Dayton
Staff Writer
One of the strongest retail categories today is all but unmentionable. Women are plunking down big dollars for something most other people may never see: their underwear.
“It’s definitely been one of the more popular categories,” said Kelly Tackett, a senior analyst with TNS Retail Forward, a Columbus, Ohio-based retail consulting firm.
The intimates category, Tackett said, is seeing a lot of activity as retailers try to figure out how to get a larger share of their existing customer’s wallet.
“The category has been dominated so long by Victoria’s Secret, and there really haven’t been a lot of competitors with an appealing offer, so a lot of these retailers have decided to stop giving Victoria’s Secret the whole category,” Tackett said.
Department stores hope for share
Among retailers hoping to cash in on ladies’ undies are American Eagle Outfitters, which has expanded its intimates label, aerie, into freestanding stores. The company opened its first aerie boutique in Greenville in 2006.
Kohl’s department stores also has unveiled a new lingerie label, Moments, and JCPenney introduced its Umbrielle line last spring.
“With the launch of Umbrielle, we have been updating our fitting rooms and doing what we call boutique upgrades,” said JCPenney spokeswoman Nicole Falagrady.
Ron Worley, manager of Charleston’s newest JCPenney store at Citadel Mall, said the store’s intimate apparel section is a good 25% to 30% larger than the section would have been in a typical JC Penney five years ago.
“The word we like to use is ‘seductive,’ ” Worley said. “It’s got purple drapes and big square mirrors and round ottomans for the customers to sit on as opposed to a chair or bench.”
The store also has nine certified bra fitters specially trained by the company to help women in the fitting rooms. Lingerie is among the top five categories in terms of sales for the store, Worley said.
A ‘feel-good’ category
“I think the entire category is a ‘feel good,’ ’’ Worley said. “It’s one of the areas of the store where the customer is more engaged. Of course, you have to look at the popularity of Victoria’s Secret and say, ‘I want to do some of that business.’ ”
Ruth Brennan, owner of Bits of Lace on King Street, is someone who knows all about the appealing niche of lingerie. The store has been growing sales consistently since 1976, long before Victoria’s Secret opened in the neighborhood.
“It’s a very strong industry. That’s probably why I’ve experienced the growth I’ve experienced,” Brennan said. “I think that lingerie is one of those niches that is almost recession proof. Women’s bodies change significantly throughout their growth and development and throughout maturity. That niche is there and people are not going to find what we sell everywhere because most of the product I bring in is from Europe.”
Kathleen Dayton is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at kdayton@scbiznews.com.
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