DressBarn
 | |
| Type | Public (NASDAQ: ASNA) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Women's clothing) |
| Predecessor(s) | DressBarn |
| Founded | Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. (1962) |
| Headquarters | Suffern, New York, U.S. |
| Number of locations | 825 (March 2012)[1] |
| Key people |
Roslyn Jaffe, Founder David R. Jaffe, President and CEO.[2] |
| Products | Women's clothing products (district stores for young women and older women) |
| Website | www.dressbarn.com |
Dress Barn (currently styled as dressbarn) is an American retailer of women's clothing.
History and operations
The first Dress Barn was opened in 1962 in Stamford, Connecticut, by Roslyn Jaffe. The company began trading on NASDAQ (symbol DBRN) in 1982. In January 2011, to move away from the direct association with the Dress Barn brand and reflect the company's broader holdings,[3] the company was reorganized as a Delaware corporation named Ascena Retail Group, Inc.[2] At this time the NASDAQ symbol was also changed to ASNA.[4]
Ascena also owns the Maurices, Justice, Lane Bryant, and Catherines clothing store brands. The Dress Barn brand targets consumers such as budget-conscious career women, and the Dress Barn, Dress Barn Woman (larger sizes), and combination stores sell in-season, moderate- to better-quality women's apparel and accessories at value prices and cater to professional women. Chairman Elliot Jaffe and his wife and co-founder, Roslyn, own about 25% of The Dress Barn.
In 2009, DressBarn expanded into the girls' clothing market by purchasing Tween Brands, the owner of the Justice chain of 891 stores. Justice, which is aimed at girls between ages 7 and 14, is the effective successor of Limited Too, originally launched in 1987 by The Limited to serve the same market. In 1999, The Limited spun off Limited Too as a separate company. In 2004, Limited Too launched the Justice chain, aimed at a lower price point in the same market. Limited Too changed its name to Tween Brands in 2008, and the company had almost completely converted its remaining Limited Too stores to Justice stores at the time of the DressBarn acquisition.
David Jaffe, president and chief executive officer of Ascena, said Dressbarn is opening a New York design studio.[2]
In November 2013, Judith Langley, who was executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Charming Charlie’s, was appointed executive vice president and chief merchandising officer.[2] She replaced Keith Fulsher, who retired.[2]
References
- ↑ "The Dress Barn 2010 Annual Report". Retrieved 2012-01-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Moin, David (11 November 2013). "Judith Langley Named Dressbarn Merchandising Chief". WWD. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Dress Barn, Inc. Completes Delaware Holding Company Reorganization into Ascena Retail Group, Inc.". Business Wire. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- ↑ "Ascena Retail Group Inc. - Company Information". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2012.