Chico's Plans 80 Units

FORT MYERS, FL-Women’s specialty clothing retailer Chico’s FAS, Inc. will add at least 80 stores by the end of this year, bringing the chain to 1,000 locations in an expansion of its Chico’s, White House/Black Market, Soma by Chico’s and Fitigues brands, the company says.

The expansion announcement at the Citigroup Retail Conference and Field Trip in Orlando follows the biggest growth year yet for Chico’s, which opened 150 stores in 2006. Chico’s EVP and CFO Charlie Kleman says the company will also expand the size of its new Chico locations to 3,300 sf and open larger White House/Black Market stores of about 2,600 sf. Chico’s will announce a plan for its Soma brand later this year.

The additional retail venues did little to help the company’s merchandising efforts, however. In August, the firm’s comparative store sales ran negative for the first time in 113 months and October sales were flat at both its Chico’s and White House/Black Market stores.