Penny-pinching fashion shoppers just got a new influx of options.
Value retailer Big Lots augmented its apparel offerings with the addition of season-ready styles from both nationally known and private-label brands. Seizing on the casualization trend—even as dressing up takes off again—the discount chain on Tuesday said consumers shopping its 1,400+ stores in 47 states as well as online can discover fresh clothing from Reebok as well as apparel, accessories and footwear from One World, Como Vintage and Weekend Soul, a new private brand hawking trendy tops and dresses starting at $10.
Big Lots CEO Bruce Thorn described how quarantine has “changed the way we all approach getting dressed in the morning,” with consumers gravitating toward “comfortable” garments merging fashion and function. “We kept this top of mind when deciding to greatly expand our apparel assortment with new brands, styles and options for every customer,” he added.
The Reebok assortment spans hoodies, joggers, sweaters, athletic shorts, sports bras, T-shirts, with the Big Lots website advertising the athletic brand’s women’s core leggings for $4.50 alongside an unbranded “Professional Binge Watcher” tee on offer for $1.24. Kid’s styles encompass two-piece sets splashed with popular Disney and Marvel characters and priced at $9 and up.
The new fashion expansion comes as the Columbus, Ohio-based retailer reported a record first quarter for the period ended May 1, with net income surging 92 percent to $94.6 million, or $2.62 a diluted share, from $49.3 million, or $1.26, on a 13 percent gain in net sales to $1.63 billion from $1.44 billion.
Thorn, who credited the results in part to the third round of stimulus checks dished out starting in March, noted double-digit digital growth in categories excluding food and consumables, underscoring online’s strength during nationwide restrictions.
Like others throughout the industry, Thorn told Wall Street analysts about Big Lots’ ongoing supply chain challenges. Chief financial officer Jonathan Ramsden said the company will “mitigate some supply chain pressures” by “accelerat[ing] some receipts into Q2 ahead of the peak inventory build period in Q3.”
Additional reporting by Jessica Binns.