Plus-size solutions for an industry under pressure

© Courtesy Dia & Co

The single-biggest shock to the sector came in July when Ascena Retail Group, the company that owns Lane Bryant and two other plus-size retailers, Catherines and Cacique, filed for bankruptcy. All 264 Catherines stores are closing permanently. So are 150 Lane Bryant and Lane Bryant Outlet stores. (It was Lane Bryant, a store that wasn’t always focused on larger sizes, that began advertising “Misses Plus Sizes” in 1922, coining the term that stuck.) The Ann Taylor and LOFT brands, which Ascena also owns, don’t appear to be taking nearly the same hit. And with COVID case counts shooting up again, the long-feared autumn spike is arriving just as the all-important fourth-quarter holiday-selling season begins. So it’s do-or-die time for everyone, the independent boutiques especially.

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Bulked up with a $100-million equity investment, Dia & Co. has more room to maneuver than most. So Boujarwah’s team has been trying to find creative ways to respond to the new business realities.

Ellis Henican is an author based in New York City and a former newspaper columnist.