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Mass merchants offer children's clothing in both separates and sets, recognizing the advantages of both choices. Customers usually get a better value with sets, but they are also attracted to separates for the mix and match possibilities. The mix in stores is usually seasonal, with more sets being offered for spring and summer, and more separates for back-to-school. Girls' sets tend to be popular, especially when offered with fashion accessories. Boys' sets often have sports themes, with team-licensed sets particularly popular for little boys., Competition for floor space is intense in the realm of mass market childrenswear. But sets and separates are co-existing harmoniously in the girls' sizes 4 to 6X and boys' sizes [...]

Discount retailers believe merchandise presentation is the most important technique for marketing children's clothing to increase sales and profits. Children's products superstore, Kids Central USA, markets merchandise for newborns up to children of six years of age, in stores of 34,000 sq ft to 60,000 sq ft. New England-based discount retail chain, Stuarts, markets all children's clothing at the front of the store., As 1994 begins, discount retailers are implementing strategies to increase the business in their children's clothing departments, ranking merchandising presentation as the most important tactic for success in 1994. Although [...]

Discounters are expanding floor space and stocks in the expectation that the demand for new adult and junior styles will extend to the children's clothing market. Discount houses, with annual children's clothing sales of $8.5 billion, expect to increase their 40% market share by outselling specialty stores and department stores. Manufacturers have produced brightly colored children's dresses based on adult and junior styles, sports-licensed clothes and the ever-popular denims and twills for new baby boomers., Discounters and chains hope that pentup demand for new styles will ignite sales of children's apparel for the fall back-to-school season. Retailers point to a change in consumer attitude that [...]

JCPenney has backed off another apparel line in the wake of discontinuing South Park products. This time, the retailer--which has said it will place more emphasis on young customers--has pulled [...]

Fashion-forward children's fleece products appear ready for strong sales gains. Some retailers believe these products will have double digit sales gains during the Back-to-School season. Discount stores should focus on products that include features such as licensed icons, and private label goods should fare well. Basic children's fleece products will continue to post slow market growth., Retailers who are contemplating cutting back on their kids' fleece orders might reconsider such a strategy. While this past fall unseasonably warm weather initially caused a dip in sales, merchants [...]

Children's outerwear has enjoyed strong sales, thanks largely to vibrant accents and bold colors inspired by ski-wear. Sale of children's outerwear so far in 1997 has grown by 10% over the same period in 1996 and many retailers attribute the strong showing to the overall impressive performance of clothing sales. While fashion has been the key underpinning of children's outerwear sales, cold weather has also helped, according to retailers., The styles may be designed for down-going uphill in the children's outerwear category. Fashion inspired by skiwear--bold colors and vibrant accents--are putting zip into kids' coats. In addition to sales [...]

The children's wear market during 1996 has yielded mixed results for discount retailers. Data from The NPD Group shows that while discounters still control the market as far as dollar share, their actual share of the market has remained almost unchanged since 1995. Discounters dominance of the market can be attributed largely to the wide variety of items they offer as well as consistently low prices, according to the data., [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Describing the mass market childrenswear business is a dichotomous task. Here's the good news first: By offering their shoppers consistently [...]

Changing consumer purchasing patterns are influencing discount stores' Back-to-School apparel purchases. Consumers are no longer purchasing school clothes for an entire season, but they are instead buying on an as-needed basis. This has caused discount stores to delay their upfront buying, although these stores are conducting extensive research to help gauge the Back-to-School market. Sales of childrens' clothing at discount stores during the Back-to-School season rose from $2.6 billion in 1994 to $2.7 billion in 1995., Back-to-School apparel will arrive on the sales floor fashionably late. 'The slogan we've come to live by is `off the rack, on the back,' ' says Denis Lemire, vice president [...]

Discount retailers are wondering how to market their fleece sportswear as competition grows in this area, especially in children's wear. Other warm apparel, such as flannels, thermals and henleys, are stealing market share. Retailers battle among themselves with products that have to differentiate themselves in order to survive. Sales were slow during 1994 and fleece sales for 1995 are hard to predict., * Fleece is a powerhouse in the apparel programs of all mass merchants. Like denim, the fleece category is an arena where competing retailers battle it out, fighting hard for [...]

Mass market retailers are attracting more junior girls to apparel departments by offering bait items that are fashionable and that change when the fashion changes. In addition, retailers realize that they should cultivate this segment of business, because juniors are their future adult customers. In response, these stores are stocking other items that appeal to this age set, such as CDs and other electronic equipment., There will always be a place on the mass market floor for basic five-pocket jeans and solid T-shirts. But where does this leave juniors customers who demand more style? The [...]

Discount retailers must merchandise the girls' 7- to 14-size clothing carefully in order to appeal to a vast number of consumers. Previously, there were pre-teen departments but in 1994 the discount retailers are marketing clothing in size 16 to aid the transition from children's to teen clothing sizes and styles. The merchandise selected also plays a part in the positioning of the department., The 7- to 14-size range, once a child-like category, is being seduced by the more mature styles of the juniors circuit. is gradual blurring of size ranges is giving mass [...]

Discount retailers are realizing that children's dress-wear business is not what it used to be, and many are downplaying this retail area. Lifestyle changes have resulted in an increase of pantsuit sales for girls and fewer dress suit sales for boys. Rose's, located in Henderson, NC, continues to sell velvet dresses during key holidays. Most discount retails offer good value dress-up clothes at reasonable prices to move such merchandise., Selling boys' and girls' dresswear in the mass market has always been a tricky proposition. The trend toward casual dressing hasn't made matters any easier. Although casual wear is the [...]

Discount retailers are getting ready for the back-to-school business they expect during the fall 1994. Marketing strategies include an integrated approach, with store brands merchandised to fit in with the image of the store. Clothing manufacturers have redesigned their logos and have provided signage that will enhance in-store displays. Retailers are also realizing that in-store promotions and merchandising may be even more important than traditional advertising., Retailers and apparel manufacturers have done their homework for Back-to-School advertising and promotions and are hoping to get good grades at the cash register when August and September roll around. [...]

Discount houses expect brightly colored boys clothing with college and professional athletic logos or cartoon characters and denim shorts, tops and jeans to be the best selling items for spring 1994. Matched tops and shorts sets for little boys in sizes 4 through 7 may sport both sports logos and cartoon characters as a result of cross-licensing. Although discounters expect heavy sales of these items, some are using electronic data exchange to permit adequate supplies and prevent overstocking., * If a foreign observer from a remote culture--outer space, for instance--was dropped headlong into a mass market boy's wear department, he might be a little confused. This visitor from [...]

Discount houses hope to capitalize on the re-awakened interest in dinosaur-related children's clothing and accessories but have been unable to obtain satisfactory supplies of some of the most demanded and best selling licensed products. Discounters expect to have $200 million in added sales from licensed products derived from the motion picture Jurassic Park. However, licensed products that feature the children's favorite, Barney, a public television cartoon character, have been limited initially to J.C. Penney, then shipped to department stores, with only a trickle distributed to discounters., Just when you thought they were extinct, dinosaurs are making a roaring comeback at retail. Dino-inspired apparel and accessories have been nipping at the children's wear market, making mincemeat out [...]

Retail off-price family clothing stores have been slow to enter the children's clothing market which recorded $23.4 billion in sales in 1992. Off-pricers held only an 11.1% children's clothing market share in 1992 compared to the 30% market share held by retail discount houses. A lack of sufficient floor space, the scarcity of children's clothing closeout merchandise and competition from discount houses and such price-cutters as Kids 'R' Us have discouraged off-pricer's growth efforts., Off-pricers are growing by leaps and bound but in the lucrative children's wear market they seem to be taking baby steps. As a whole, off-pricer's market share in children's wear [...]

Discount houses have begun enhancing their children's clothing departments which, although never fully developed, have been highly profitable. In the first nine months of 1992, discounters grossed $5.1 billion in sales, a 15% increase over the same period, 1991. Some discounters have assigned special sections with new fixtures to market children's clothing. A larger assortment of brand name products are being offered with a focus on low prices. Special promotions have been planned, including gift-giving, frequent purchase programs and sponsored tie-in giveaways., Discounters want their children's apparel departments to grow up to be successful. Although still underdeveloped, kids' means big business to discounters. They generated $5.1 billion in children's apparel sales for [...]

Girls' dresses go casual Sugar and spice, among other ingredients, have traditionally defined little girls. Add a few polka dots, some taffeta, bows and lace, and you've described the traditional [...]

Growing into new space If demographics have any weight, retailers who have expanded their visibility in the children's wear marketplace should be preparing for an invasion of 7 to 17 [...]

Kids' Brands Grow On Chains Discounters Strive to Keep on Top Of Changing Definitions of Value Recognizable, national branded names are winning over consumers buying children's wear, but value remains [...]

When it comes to spurring infants' and toddlers' apparel sales, Tweety Bird is tuhwiffic, Winnie the Pooh is a no-brainer and Captain Kangaroo hops across generations. But, licensing with the [...]

Many discount stores have established boutiques to market infants' and toddlers' clothing. Target Discount Stores Inc has opened the Lullaby Club with bodysuits and separates priced from $6.99 to $9.99. Lullaby Club is also the name of Target's baby registry. Venture puts infants's ready-to-wear and layette in one spot. Toddler's sales are dependent on brand names and hot character licenses, including those from Disney and Warner Bros., The birth rate may be flat tening out, but infants and toddlers, apparel sale are still on the rise, fueled in large part by a thriving gift business. The gifts [...]

Kmart Corp. is focusing on building its children's department. The discount retailer will introduce the Sesame Street proprietary label in Aug 1998 to help build the department into a cohesive unit. Licensed products, particularly entertainment- and sport-oriented apparel, are popular with both boys and girls. Kmart is testing wind pants for girls., When Lorna Nagler, Kmart's divisional vice president of infants' toddlers' and childrenswear, talks about how the children's department needs to be more focused, she points to what Kmart perceives as [...]

Discount stores had $7.7 billion dollars of children's clothing sales in 1993, which amounted to a 33.9% share of the children's clothing business. Department stores had only half the sales volume of discount stores in the children's clothing category. Discounters' market share may increase even more as clothing manufacturers expand their children's lines. Many suppliers are focusing heavily on children's apparel for the mass market, and discount stores welcome the brand names as highly marketable., Discounters have children's wear sewn up. With a 33.9 percent share of the business, generating $7.7 billion last year, discount department stores produced nearly twice the volume of department stores, [...]

Shoppers at K Mart Corp's new Auburn Hills, MI, prototype store were less impressed with the redesigned, upgraded and newly stocked Kid's World childrens' and infant's clothing department than the discounter had hoped they would be. K Mart believed that the brightly-colored and playful decor, which used bicycles and footballs as props, and the addition of brand name products would enhance a formerly underdeveloped department. Consumers rated the department 6.1, on a scale of 9, believing that the decor had changed but the merchandise remained the same., 'Kmart loves kids,' proclaims a sign over the new Kid's World children's wear department at the Auburn Hills prototype. Like most discounters, children's apparel plays center stage in the retailer's [...]

Jamesway (Secaucus, NJ) is attempting to compete with national chains Kmart and Wal-Mart by strengthening the apparel departments in its 120 stores, particularly the children's areas. Following a prototype trial, boys' and girls' apparel units are being brought together under the name Jamesway Kids. The change has resulted in total apparel sales increases of 25% at renovated stores. Jamesway's new merchandising management team has also identified the company's private label line as an area where sales could be increased from 5% of children's apparel sales to 10-15%., Jamesway is banking on its apparel departments, especially children's area, to strengthen its presence in a trading area that has become increasingly more competitive. Now in its 30th year, Jamesway [...]

Look, there in the store, it's Super Baby. No, it's Super Baby Boutiques. Maybe this merchandising phenomenon is not as amazing as some cartoon heroes, but sales generated from these [...]

Kids' Apparel Puts Gleam in Discounters' Eyes Children became a force to be reckoned with in 1990. Media reports of how much children spent of their own money put a [...]

Sears To Offer |Kidvantage' Unveils Frequent Purchase Program and Full Warranty CHICAGO -- Sears has introduced two programs for its children's apparel department to help build loyalty among shoppers--a frequent [...]

Boys' wear is big biz * Jeans or sweats, a colorful shirt, and fashion sneakers may be the obvious school uniform of choice for most boys, but detailed bottoms and [...]

New Lines Propel Fruit of the Loom in Children's Fruit of the Loom emerged as the No. 1 brand in infants', toddlers' and children's apparel, jumping six spots on DSN's [...]

Kids Mart Takes On the Big Boys Off-Pricer Concentrates on Refining Niche Appeal CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif -- With its niche in the children's apparel market finely carved as an [...]

Brand strength runs relatively low in children's apparel, according to DSN's top brand survey. The most often cited brand--Garanimals--was mentioned by just a fifth of all the store managers polled, [...]

Moms Warm Up to Kids & More MERRILLVILLE, Ind. -- Two mothers with their young children in tow walked into the kids & More superstore, which is located at the [...]

Sears Gives Kids' Apparel The Superstore Treatment MERRILLVILLE, Ind. -- In a bid to buttress one of its strongest businesses, Sears unveiled a new children's 25,000-square-foot superstore in its Southlake [...]

Off-Price Apparel Chains Focus On Specialty Segments The off-price apparel industry is developing into a group of sharply focused chains, each with a corner of some specialty segment. The line-up [...]

Children's wear buyers agree bright, colorful graphics are one of the key elements they look for in licensed merchandise. They also agree licenses are strongest in basic catergoies like sleepwear [...]

Growing Boom Babies Spur Children's Biz Discount stores across the country are reaping the benefits of the baby-boom population growth of the past few years which is pushing more kids [...]

Discounters Increase Boys' Fashion Due to Young Men's Style Influence American boys are becoming pint-sized fashion plates, and they're looking to what their older brothers are wearing for fashion direction. [...]

Gold Circle Repositions Infants and Toddlers Section Gold Circle's newest children's world presentation concept features an expanded infants & toddlers section, strategically repositioned next to toys and clothing for older [...]

Junior Looks Promise Strong Fall Girls' Sales The girls' wear market has grown up a lot. Although the trendiest kids' wear looks by Guess, Lizkids, Esprit and Benetton kids are [...]

Discounters Discover Newborn Potential In Infants/Toddlers Discounters unanimously agree newborn apparel is the segment of infants and toddlers wear to nurture in 1986. Merchandisers at K mart, Gold Circle, Pamida, [...]

Catalog showroom chains are going after the apparel business stronger than ever this year with new departments, more in-catalog emphasis and, in some cases, an upscale fashion appeal. At Des [...]

PASSAIC, N.J. -- Kids 'R' Us is on the move after a developmental stage that lasted a year and a half. This year the chain plans to roll out a [...]

Competition Escalates in Kids' The important infants' and toddlers', boys' and girls' wear categories at the nation's discounters are continuing to contribute strong sales dollars as a percentage of total [...]