Kids' styles grow up

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 [...]