Kohl's lays out women's private label plus brand

Dive Brief:

Kohl’s on Tuesday announced the launch of a women’s private-label plus brand, dubbed EVRI, which the retailer says stands for Easy, Versatile, Real (Value) and Inspiring. It will be available online and in stores next spring, according to a company press release.
"The apparel will feature dresses, tops and bottoms in sizes that take in account both shape and height, ranging from short to tall, with additional options available in more curvy and less curvy," the company said. EVRI sizes will range 0X-4X in tops and 14W-30W in bottoms.
The move is part of a renewed size-inclusive effort from Kohl’s, including revamped plus areas in stores by fall 2019 and more fit options from its Nike, POPSUGAR at Kohl’s, Apt. 9, Sonoma Goods for Life, Simply Vera Vera Wang, LC Lauren Conrad, Jennifer Lopez, Croft & Barrow, Levi, Lee, Gloria Vanderbelt and Dana Buchman lines, according to the release.

Dive Insight:

Kohl's joins several other retailers and apparel brands in bringing size and fit inclusiveness to its assortments and forging new private labels to differentiate its merchandise.

Kohl’s Chief Merchandising Officer Doug Howe said in a statement Tuesday that the new plus size label takes advantage of an opportunity to better meet customer needs, as women of all sizes express the desire to buy beautiful clothing that fits.

Indeed, women prefer to find the size they need within a range of apparel, rather than heading to specialty retailers that only cater to them, according to research from Jane Hali & Associates. That gives Nordstrom, Target, Macy's and others making similar moves an advantage over the likes of Ascena's Lane Bryant and Catherine's banners, those analysts say.

The discount department store continues to make the best of its other advantages, too, which include strong loyalty from shoppers and locations mostly apart from struggling malls. Analysts have hailed strong new initiatives in supply chain and merchandising, as well as omnichannel services that help set it apart from rivals.

Contrary analysts' warnings that its tie-up with Amazon was a short-sighted move, the retailer is landing the higher foot traffic and sales executives had hoped it would bring to stores offering Amazon concessions and returns. And it's benefiting from the downfall of struggling competitors. "The buoyant market is helping [Kohl's] to produce better results, but it is also helping itself and is stealing customers from rivals like J.C. Penney," GlobalData Retail Managing Director Neil Saunders told Retail Dive in an email last month.