In episode 287 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Phil Ryan, CEO of City Chic Collective, a women's plus-size apparel retailer. Listen in as Ryan discusses City Chic Collective's brand portfolio and history, his personal background in retail, and the company's recent acquisition of U.K. plus-size fashion brand Evans. He shares why Evans is a seamless fit into the City Chic Collective umbrella of brands, the company's strategy to gain market share in the plus-size apparel industry, and the supply chain challenges that come with acquiring new businesses.

In addition, Ryan discusses the overlap in customers between City Chic Collective brands, how the business communicates with its customers at each brand, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the company over the past year. Lastly, he shares his outlook for City Chic Collective in 2021, what he's focused on to ensure profitable growth, and the trends he's seeing in the plus-size sector.

Phil Ryan is CEO and the original brand director of City Chic. In 2006, Ryan led a team of six people that created the brand. He's responsible for the strategic direction and operational leadership that has seen City Chic take a market-leading position in the global plus-size industry. Ryan is a global authority on the plus-size consumer, with over 25 years of experience in senior and strategic retail apparel management. Ryan's family had a fashion manufacturing, wholesale and retail business called Ambition in the 1980s and 1990s, and from this he knows all areas of a ragtrade business, from the cutting table to the retail shop floor. He holds a M.B.A. from the Australian School of Management and an Undergraduate in Business from the University of Technology.