Bensalem

Ascena Retail Group CEO David Jaffe has pledged to preserve the jobs of 7,500 employees at soon-to-be-shuttered Fashion Bug stores, as well as 600 workers at the headquarters of Charming Shoppes, according to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Ascena, which owns the Dressbarn, Justice and Maurices banners, acquired Charming Shoppes — and its Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Catherines brands — on June 15. Jaffe said that Ascena is committed for at least three years to the Bensalem, Pa., facility that houses executive and administrative offices for Charming Shoppes. 

After a year of sales and profit declines, plus-size-apparel retailer Charming Shoppes Inc. said yesterday that it would turn to American Idol to draw customers to its Lane Bryant clothing shops. The Bensalem-based company, whose 2,121 stores also include Fashion Bug and Catherines outlets, said it planned to spend $4 million on Lane Bryant ads during the nationally televised talent competition in the coming weeks.