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the BIg PlAn Our greatest resource is our people. That's what everybody says because it is true. Our talent pool enables us to do everything we do. 24 The new ownership began tackling some of the retailer's biggest issues, including a selection that didn't have the size breadth it needed, and the lack of systems needed to manage its merchandise – current and future. To address, what Hernreich calls, "guys from all walks of life," Casual Male needed to cater to customers young and old, big and bigger, contemporary and traditional, value-oriented and luxury-oriented. Its immediate steps were key: a key acquisition (Rochester Clothing), an expanded e-commerce and catalog sales business, a low-end BT Factory Direct line, upgraded merchandise systems and in-store customer service. By 2007, things turned around. In 2010, it started replacing the Casual Male stores with DXL. Commercial Construction & Renovation sat down with Hernreich to get an inside look at its plans moving forward. What's the most pressing item on your to-do list? Closing the Casual Male stores and opening the DXL stores. It's an ongoing process. CommerCial ConstruCtion & renovation — january : february 2013 We tested the model in 2010 and perfected in 2011. In 2010, we opened the first four DXL stores in Houston, Las Vegas, Chicago and Memphis. They were immediate hits. The numbers showed that they generated 120 percent of the sales in the 12 stores they replaced. In 2011, we opened 12 more stores. In 2012, we opened another 33 stores, and now have a presence in many important metropolitan cities across the country. What was the feedback like? The response exceeded our expectations. The average purchase was about 40 percent higher than in Casual MaleXL stores. How has business been over the past year overall? It has been okay. We have had a little growth. Part of that has to do with what we are doing specifically in terms of converting the business and the macro business environment, which has not been a friend of ours, or any retailer, for the past few years. We don't sell items that