| Type | Subsidiary of Hot Topic |
|---|---|
| Industry | retail |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | City of Industry, California |
| Number of locations | 151 (April 2011)[1] |
| Key people | Lisa Harper; Betsy McLaughlin; Chris Daniel, President |
| Products | plus size apparel, gifts |
| Revenue | US$ 725,142,000 (FY '05) |
| Website | torrid.com |
Torrid is an American retail chain owned by Hot Topic. The store offers plus sized apparel and accessories for women and teenage girls sizes 12 - 26. Torrid began operations in April 2001.[2] The first location opened in the Brea Mall in Brea, California. Torrid currently has over 170 stores in operation across 36 states in the United States of America.[3]
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The store's clothing styles are aimed at women. In 2005, Torrid expanded its merchandise selection to include styles distinct from its parent company, Hot Topic. Torrid sells accessories, shoes, jewelry, novelty tee shirts, fashion tops, pants, Capri pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, outerwear, intimate apparel, hosiery, gifts, and beauty products. Torrid follows the Hot Topic merchandise strategy of monitoring fashion trends closely, utilizing direct communication between customers, employees and corporate personnel to be in step with current fashion. Torrid's product mix is approximately 50% private label, and 50% external brands like Dickies Girl, Tripp, Freestyle Revolution, and Z. Cavaricci.
Torrid uses both professional and amateur plus-size models in its advertising circulars and online catalog images. In 2006, Torrid began an annual Model Search Contest, touring cities nationwide. 2007 American Idol winner Jordin Sparks was Torrid's 2006 Model Search Contest winner before appearing on that show.
Torrid features celebrity models, such as: Kaycee Stroh from Disney's High School Musical, Hairspray's Nikki Blonsky, Hayley Hasselhoff, Christina Schmidt from Degrassi: The Next Generation (seasons 1-3), Mia Tyler and singer Beth Ditto.