Our Timeline

Charming Shoppes, Inc. and Fashion Bug
Lane Bryant
Catherines Plus Sizes
Crosstown Traders, Inc.
Petite Sophisticate

1940s
Charming Shoppes debuted on September 13, 1940, when Morris and Arthur Sidewater opened their first store on a busy neighborhood block in Philadelphia. The store was originally called Charm Shoppes and later changed to Charming Shoppes.

1950s
In 1951, the Sidewater brothers teamed up with another pair of brothers, David and Ellis Wachs, and opened a second Charming Shoppes store, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The group continued to open stores into the late fifties.

1960s
Plans were made for the opening of the first Charming Shoppes store in a large suburban shopping center. The founders, who wanted a new name for a store in such a location, opened the first Fashion Bug store, in Audubon, New Jersey.

1970s–1980s
Charming Shoppes became a public corporation in 1971, trading on the over-the-counter market, NASDAQ®. In 1972, Fashion Bug stores became computerized. Among the first in the retailing industry to have computerized registers, Charming Shoppes pioneered the use of the point-of-sale register. During the late 1970s Fashion Bug entered a period of rapid store expansion, which continued into the early 1990s.

Early 1990s
The 1,000th Fashion Bug store opened in 1990, as Charming Shoppes continued to expand by about 100 stores per year. In 1991, Charming Shoppes recorded $1 billion dollars in sales—its most successful year ever at the time. Starting in 1993, the entire retail industry began a downward spiral, forcing many notable established retailers out of business. Charming Shoppes halted plans for continued expansion and struggled to survive. As an innovator, Charming Shoppes opened an on-site child-care facility and wellness center for the benefit of Charming Shoppes employees in 1993.

1995
Dorrit J. Bern joined Charming Shoppes, Inc. in August as President, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. Ms. Bern completely restructured the organization’s infrastructure while building a strong financial foundation. Her merchandising strategy and streamlining of operations took the Company in a new direction. Charming Shoppes closed underperforming stores and planned strategic store openings in advantageous markets.

1996
Ms. Bern championed social as well as fiscal responsibility, launching several charitable programs designed to provide assistance and information to women and children in need. The programs included clothing and monetary donations as well as the establishment of Fashion Bug’s Community Center, an in-store display housing free literature on health, education, finances and family matters. The Dominis Social Index rated Charming Shoppes one of the top socially responsible companies in the region.

1997
Ms. Bern was appointed Chairman of the Board. Under her strong leadership, the company moved forward with confidence and a well-defined focus, and after three troubled years, Charming Shoppes returned to profitability. Charming Shoppes received commendation from the Philadelphia Board of Education for its Keeping Kids Warm effort, an annual coat-donation program for children in need.

1998
Charming Shoppes purchased 28 valuable locations from the Petrie clothing chain. In an effort to focus on Fashion Bug’s core female customer, the men’s division was phased out of all Fashion Bug stores.

1999
Ms. Bern began the execution of her strategy to expand the Company’s focus on the women’s plus-size apparel business. Charming Shoppes acquired the 137-store Modern Woman plus-size apparel chain.

2000
The 433-store Memphis-based Catherines Stores Corporation was added to the Company, with the strategic plan of integrating Modern Woman into Catherines plus-size platform. Charming Shoppes now operated more than 1,750 women’s specialty stores in 48 states.

2001
Charming Shoppes acquired America’s number-one plus-size specialty apparel provider, Lane Bryant, with 651 stores. Now the country’s largest women’s plus-size specialty apparel provider, Charming Shoppes is also the third-largest women's specialty retailer, operating more than 2,200 stores, with 72 percent of revenues from plus sizes. Also in 2001, Charming Shoppes acquired the Web site assets of alight.com and used the acquired assets to form its Charming Shoppes Interactive, Inc. subsidiary. Charming Interactive was chartered with providing an Internet Web site presence for Charming Shoppes' family of brands.

2002
In January, Charming Shoppes announced a restructuring plan, including a number of initiatives designed to position the Company for increased profitability and growth in the plus-size business. The major components of this plan included closing the Added Dimensions/Answer chain, closing underperforming Fashion Bug stores and converting several Fashion Bug store locations to Lane Bryant stores. In March, Catherines became Charming Shoppes’ first online retailer when it launched e-commerce at catherines.com.

2003
Lane Bryant’s existing Web site, lanebryant.com, began e-commerce activity.

2005
Charming Shoppes acquired Crosstown Traders, Inc., a direct marketer of women's apparel, footwear, accessories and specialty gifts. A major step in the Company's long-term growth strategy, the acquisition provided an infrastructure to develop the Direct-to-Consumer businesses, which include the Company's catalog and e-commerce sales distribution channels. This development was a key step toward the launch of the Lane Bryant brand catalog in October 2007, when the Lane Bryant catalog trademark reverts to the Company.

Also in 2005, Charming Shoppes announced plans to assume the leases on approximately 75 outlet store locations previously operated by Casual Corner Annex. The agreement provides an entry into many of the country's leading outlet centers for the Lane Bryant brand. The outlet stores, which will be operated under the Lane Bryant® Outlet nameplate, are expected to open mid-2006.

2006
In July 2006, the Company launched Lane Bryant Outlet ™ with the opening of the Company's first outlet store at Franklin Mills in Philadelphia. The Company opened 75 Lane Bryant Outlet stores during July 2006.

In September 2006, the Company launched Petite Sophisticate Outlet, and opened 44 Petite Sophisticate Outlet stores in 23 states.

2007
In October, 2007, the trademark for the Lane Bryant Catalog reverted to Charming Shoppes, Inc., and our first Lane Bryant Catalog and www.lanebryantcatalog.com were launched.

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1900
Lena Bryant founded Lane Bryant in New York as the first women’s apparel retailer in America devoted exclusively to plus-sizes.

1900s–1980s
The first Lane Bryant store opened on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1904. Lane Bryant eventually grew to 222 stores nationwide, offering a wide selection of fashion apparel. In 1982, The Limited, Inc. acquired Lane Bryant. During a period of rapid expansion, Lane Bryant grew to 720 stores.

1990s
Lane Bryant’s progressive new marketing and promotional efforts focused on the celebration and empowerment of women. In 1997, Lane Bryant held its first-ever fall fashion show in New York City and chose the winner of its national Search for Real Women campaign. Fashion shows continued through 2003.

2001
On August 16, Charming Shoppes acquired America’s number-one women’s plus-size specialty apparel provider, Lane Bryant, with 651 stores.

2003
Lane Bryant’s existing Web site, lanebryant.com, began e-commerce activity.

2004
Lane Bryant returned to the Big Apple, celebrating more than 100 years in business by opening a store at 7 West 34th Street in Manhattan.

2006
In July 2006, the Company launched Lane Bryant Outlet™ with the opening of the Company’s first outlet store at Franklin Mills in Philadelphia. The Company opened 75 Lane Bryant Outlet stores during July 2006.

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1960s–1970s
The Catherines business originated in Memphis in 1960, with a single store owned by Catherine Weaver, whose goal was to bring style to the plus-size market. As the concept became successful, more stores opened throughout the South. In 1960, a group of investors bought the chain, then called Catherines Stout Shoppes, and formed Catherines, Inc.

1980s
Growth continued, and by 1980 the company opened its 100th store. A new store, PS…Plus Sizes, Plus Savings, debuted in 1980.

1990s
Catherines, Inc. went public in July 1991, and became Catherines Stores Corporation. Catherines Stores Corporation acquired Virginia Specialty Stores, the operators of Added Dimensions and The Answer, in 1992, and became the third-largest specialty plus-size women’s retailer in the country with more than 300 stores.

2000
On January 7, Charming Shoppes, Inc. acquired Catherines Stores Corporation.

2002
In March, Catherines became Charming Shoppes’ first online retailer, launching e-commerce at catherines.com. Also in 2002, the Company announced the closing of the Added Dimensions and The Answer chains. Catherines had operated these 77 plus-size stores in 23 states, concentrated in the Southeast and the Northeast. By midyear, these stores were closed or converted to Catherines Plus Sizes stores.

1946
Old Pueblo Traders started in Tucson as a direct-mail retailer of fine Southwestern fashions, moccasins and Native American crafts and jewelry. The company was started by two sisters who wished to showcase Western apparel and gifts. Customers from across the United States discovered Old Pueblo Traders' small store on Country Club Road while vacationing in Tucson.

1960s
Old Pueblo Traders shifted its focus from crafts and jewelry to fashions and shoes. Broadening beyond the Southwest, it now showed all the latest styles in a large, full-color glossy catalog that was mailed across the country to thousands of customers.

1970s
A Tucson business leader purchased Old Pueblo Traders, expanded the company and added more catalog titles. During a period of growth, the company was renamed Arizona Mail Order Company, Inc.

1990s
Arizona Mail Order Company’s customer base had grown to millions. Catalog titles Intimate Appeal, Regalia and Coward Shoes were added. To accommodate the growth, the business relocated to a larger campus in Tucson. In 1998, Arizona Mail Order Company was acquired by Fingerhut, which in 1999 was in turn acquired by Federated Department Stores. That same year, Arizona Mail Order Company acquired Bedford Fair Apparel, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and added the Bedford Fair Lifestyles and Willow Ridge catalogs to its portfolio.

2000
Arizona Mail Order Company acquired the Lew Magram and Brownstone Studio catalogs and relocated the businesses to Greenwich, Connecticut.

2002
Federated sold Arizona Mail Order Company and Figi’s, a food and gift catalog, to JPMorgan Partners, the private equity arm of JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPMorgan Partners named the new company Crosstown Traders, Inc.

2004
Crosstown Traders acquired the Monterey Bay Clothing Company, based in Carlsbad, California.

2005
Charming Shoppes acquired Crosstown Traders’ eleven catalog titles: Old Pueblo Traders, Intimate Appeal, Regalia, Coward Shoes, Bedford Fair Lifestyles, Bedford Fair Shoestyles, Willow Ridge, Lew Magram, Brownstone Studio, Monterey Bay Clothing Company and Figi’s.

Crosstown Traders launched new catalog titles, including Home Etc, and Catherines Shoes.

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2006
In January 2006, Charming Shoppes, Inc. acquired the trademark and internet domain rights to the PETITE SOPHISTICATE ® name. In September 2006, the Company launched Petite Sophisticate Outlet, and opened 44 Petite Sophisticate Outlet stores in 23 states.

2007
In October, 2007, Charming Shoppes, Inc. opened its first Petite Sophisticate full-line store in Arlington, Texas.

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