Dive Brief:

• Ascena Retail Group Inc. Friday reported disappointing sales for its Justice tween girls apparel stores and lower-priced Dressbarn stores, and said it would move to more aggressively clear out inventory at those brands. 

• Ascena said that it will cut its financial projections for the year and adjust the book value of its plus-size Lane Bryant brand.

• The company, which also owns lingerie brand Cacique, said in May it was acquiring Ann Inc. for $2.16 billion. 

Dive Insight:

Ascena’s Dressbarn brand earlier this year moved to get beyond its reputation as a lower-priced apparel retailer with collaborations with several designers it dubbed “Dressbar.” Perhaps it should eliminate the “barn” from its name entirely.

In any case, the company’s brands appear to be struggling, with apparel not moving quickly enough, at least not at the higher price points. And despite the demand for good design in plus-size clothing, its Lane Bryant brand is also seeing damp sales.

Meanwhile, it’s not clear what the company’s plans are for its Ann Inc. acquisition, which is expected to close some time next month. But women’s apparel has been a tough space, made all the tougher by consumers’ seemingly solidified expectations for promotional pricing.

And Ascena is also learning the hard way that some shoppers — namely a class of Justice shoppers in Ohio, don’t take kindly to pricing policies that fudge when items are on sale. The company said it’s setting aside $50 million to deal with that legal tussle.