Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 23, 1994 TAG: 9401280243
SECTION: ECONOMY PAGE: EC-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In the arena of fashion retailing, 1993 was the year when the Roanoke Valley welcomed two major chains.
In August, Goody's Family Clothing, a discounter, opened stores in Tanglewood and Crossroads malls.
And in October, Talbots, an upscale women's chain best known for its 45-year mail-order business, opened its fourth Virginia store on Starkey Road.
The two chains are major players in their market niches.
Goody's, which operates 130 stores, reported net sales of $361.7 million in 1992.
For the same year, Talbots - with 306 stores in the United States, Japan and Canada - reported net sales amounting to $641 million, a figure that includes its catalog operation.
It was, in fact, catalog sales that prompted the firm to decide to open a store in the Roanoke Valley. Talbots measures its potential share of a market by measuring its catalog sales in the area.
Talbots defines its typical customer as well-educated, active in the community and socially and culturally aware. Most hold college degrees and range in age from 25 to 65, with an average age of late 30s to early 40s.
Goody's markets itself as a mass merchant, catering to customers of traditional and contemporary clothing for men, women and youth. Goody's executives see department store chains like Leggett and J.C. Penney Co. as their competitors in Roanoke.
\ TALBOTS\ A NEW NAME\ \ The company: The upscale women's clothing retailer - with 1993 net sales of $641 million - is best known for its 45-year-old mail-order business. It also operates stores in the U.S., Canada and Japan.
\ Headquarters: Hingham, Mass.
\ Roanoke Valley operations: Talbots runs a 4,175-square-foot store at The Forum, a new shopping center on Starkey Road. The Roanoke store employs about 20 people.
\ GOODY'S FAMILY CLOTHING\ A NEW NAME\ \ The company: Goody's is a regional retailer of moderately priced family clothing. It operates 125 stores and employs more than 5,000 people.
\ Headquarters: Nashville, Tenn.
\ Roanoke Valley operations: Goody's operates a 25,868-square-foot store at Crossroads Mall and a 28,800-square-foot store at Tanglewood Mall. The two stores employ about 120 people.
by CNB