Dive Brief:
- FullBeauty Brands on Thursday said that Jim Fogarty has replaced Emilie Arel as chief executive officer and member of the board, effective immediately, according to a company press release.
- Fogarty arrives from multi-brand, direct-to-consumer company Orchards Brands Corp., which runs a number of apparel and home brands geared toward older consumers. Before that he had top executive roles at plus size conglomerate Charming Shoppes (since acquired by Ascena), Levi's and other companies. He has restructuring and bankruptcy experience through his work at Lehman Brothers Holdings and Alvarez & Marsal.
- FullBeauty, which runs several brands in the plus-size category for both men and women, entered and exited bankruptcy within 24 hours in February.
Dive Insight:
FullBeauty may have once profited from its plus-size niche, but it is likely under pressure in an era when more brands are responding to the demand for inclusive sizing.
Plus size specialists Lane Bryant and Catherine's, along with now-defunct plus brand Fashion Bug, that were acquired by Ascena in 2012, have been a drag on that conglomerate in recent years. "This customer does not want to feel isolated and shop in a store devoted to plus size," Jane Hali, CEO of Jane Hali & Associates told Retail Dive in an email last year.
It can help to be an online-only or catalog player like FullBeauty's brands, some experts and consumers have told Retail Dive. But as the momentum shifts decidedly toward inclusive sizing, and away from traditional plus size terminology and stores, increasingly the discussion is focused on further size expansions.
It may not help FullBeauty that its previous private equity owners still retain some interest in the company. Such companies often leverage their holdings and charge significant fees for consulting services. That can burden a company and sap it of the money and expertise it needs to respond to swiftly moving market forces, especially in a segment like apparel that already demands rapid response to evolving consumer preferences.
