FullBeauty Brands Acquires Plus-Size Brand Avenue
FullBeauty Brands earlier this week announced that it will acquire Avenue Stores from City Chic Collective Limited, an Australian publicly traded company. Terms were not disclosed. Avenue is a U.S.-based digital specialty retailer of plus-size apparel, targeting value-conscious women aged 25 to 55. The plus-size brand closed its 220-plus store portfolio across 35 states in 2019 as part of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy process, but continues to operate an e-commerce business selling through Avenue.com and other websites. Avenue.com will be integrated into FullBeauty’s classic mall, joining brands such as Aveleisure, Cloudwalkers, Zim Zoe, Loralette, Avenue Studio, Aveology and Avenue Body.
Total Retail's Take: Avenue will be FullBeauty's fourth acquisition in just over a year after the company added digital-native brands Dia, CUUP, and ELOQUII to its portfolio. The company has its sights set on leading the plus-size category across all demographics, including older consumers.
"Avenue is a well-known plus-size brand with solid, unaided awareness amongst our boomer demographic and we hope to follow our Catherine’s playbook with this acquisition," commented CEO Jim Fogarty. FullBeauty purchased plus-sized brand Catherine's in 2020, turning its legacy stores into an successful e-commerce brand.
FullBeauty is rapidly growing and plans to build a U.S.-based brand team to singularly focus on delivering for the Avenue customer, according to a press release. The company is on a mission to accelerate its growth with new, diverse demographics, expanding its digital mall offerings to become the "one-stop destination for great fitting, quality, on-trend, size-inclusive apparel," said Fogarty.
Kristina Stidham is the digital content director at Total Retail and sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality at NAPCO Media. She is passionate about digital media and handles video, podcast and virtual event production for all brands. You can often find her at WIRLC, TR, WLT&H or industry events with her camera and podcasting equipment—or at home on Zoom—recording interviews with thought leaders and business executives.
Kristina holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production from the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication in Philadelphia. Go Owls! When she's not in the office, she loves to go on long walks, sing around the house, hangout with her family and two pet guinea pigs, and travel to new places.
