the
Big
Plan
T
here was a time when the Casual Male was one of the
only retailers in town for large-sized men. But over the past
decade, as traditional retailers such as Gap and Old Navy
began offering apparel choices that appeal to big-size men, things
changed for Casual Male.
But that's just part of the game, right? You have to keep changing. So that's what Casual
Male continues to do – change with the changing times. The strategy revolves around its Destination XL stores, which will replace its current shops and offer a broader selection of merchandise in a larger space. The 8,000-square foot stores will offer big and tall men more variety,
even while having to accommodate many more sizes than traditional retailers. COO Dennis
Hernreich says that all Casual MaleXL stores are slated to be closed by the end of 2015, two
years ahead of schedule.
The retailer already had started the move toward offering larger men more choices in style,
adding 500 new styles since 2007. The DXL stores cater to customers who have a physical characteristic, not a demographic one, Hernreich says.
For the past 25 years, Casual Male has been the largest specialty men's clothing retailer
for big and tall men in the United States. The challenge was that it only focused on a subset of
its potential market – middle-aged men with 50-plus-inch waists with little interest in style. The
stores were small and crowded, with little emphasis on customer service. In 2002, its new owners, including Hernreich, bought the company out of bankruptcy and renamed it the Casual Male
Retail Group.
Inside
Casual
Male's
new stores
for largesize men
By Michael J. Pallerino
january : february 2013 — CommerCial ConstruCtion & renovation
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