April 30, 2007
Old Navy Discontinues Plus-Size Clothing In-Stores
News has recently broken that Old Navy will no longer be carrying plus-size clothing in their brick and mortar stores, although will continue to do so on-line. They say the line has not done well, and as their parent company Gap, Inc. continues to struggle with its bottom line, this news follows on the heels of the closure of their Forth and Towne concept (which incidentally carried up to size 20) in an attempt to shore up their core company. They are keeping The Gap and Banana Republic concepts open in addition to Old Navy. The practice of carrying more extended sizes on-line than in-store is used in both these stores as well.
On the surface this appears to be good business sense, but the announcement seems to be setting off a firestorm of protest across the plus-size community. Why?
Let’s look at some of the criticism of this business move:
1. Although technically available in stores to try on, feel and purchase, the reality is that the Old Navy plus-size clothes line was only available in a very, very few locations. Furthermore, the racks tended to be pushed back to small corners of these stores so consumers didn’t know they were there. And marketing of the plus-size line was barely existent. How were customers to know that there were clothes available in sizes up to 4X at any of their plus catering locations? Of course numbers weren’t good, in spite of a consumer population that could easily give them good numbers.
2. Across many chat groups that are ablaze with the topic, the issue of fit keeps coming up. It seems the Old Navy plus line didn’t hit the mark with fit, with many people referencing the straight size Old Navy line which goes up to XXL and is staying in stores as fitting better. Since many full-figured consumers wear between a size 14 and 20, many of those customers have been sticking with the regular line for fit reasons. The question then raised is the business problem not the “plus-size” concept but rather lack of understanding of the target customer’s needs? Might a little more time and money invested in issues of technical design reap better sales and consumer confidence? Elegant Plus addressed this lack of understanding within the corporate apparel world in our article “The Sizing Thing” last year. It would appear, some things are slow to change, and Old Navy is a casualty of this faux-pas and mode of thinking.
Old Navy will continue to be available on-line in plus-sizes, along with extended size offerings at the Gap which are not available in stores (up to size 20). To find these listings and more in plus-sizes up to 34W, check out the Elegant Plus Classic Plus-Size Clothing Directory.
If you wish to register concerns or complaints about this business decision you can reach Old Navy customer service two ways. Enough negative feedback and backlash on this move may change their minds, but remember at the end of the day money is what talks. Shop Old Navy plus-sizes and support them if you think they are doing a good job. If not, let them know what would make you shop there and be specific and honest about how much money they are losing when you take your business elsewhere. Call 1-800-Old-Navy or e-mail custserv@oldnavy.com . Also, please feel free to discuss, vent and comment below. The more open discussion about these issues from the consumers, the more things will change.
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