Profile: The Dress Barn, Inc. (DBRN.O)

The Dress Barn, Inc. operates women’s apparel specialty stores, principally under the names dressbarn, dressbarn woman and maurices. As of July 25, 2009, the Company operated 1,559 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, including 684 dressbarn Combo stores (a combination of its dressbarn and dressbarn woman brands), 721 maurices stores, 120 dressbarn stores and 34 dressbarn woman stores. Its dressbarn stores are typically operated as Combo stores, offering both dressbarn and larger-sized dressbarn woman merchandise. The Dress Barn, Inc. also operates stand-alone dressbarn and dressbarn woman stores in certain markets. Its dressbarn brands cater to 35 to 55 year-old women, sizes 4 to 24. The dressbarn stores offer in-season and casual fashion located primarily in convenient strip shopping centers in major trading and markets and surrounding suburban areas. As of July 25, 2009, the Company operated 1,559 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, of which, 1,001 of the stores were located in strip centers and 233 stores were located in outlet centers. In November 2009, the Company completed its merger with Tween Brands, Inc.

The Company’s maurices stores cater to the apparel and accessory needs of 17 to 34 year-old women and are typically located in small markets with populations of approximately 25,000 to 100,000. Its maurices stores offer moderately priced, up-to-date fashions, sizes 4 to 24, designed to appeal to a younger female customer than its dressbarn brands, maurices merchandise is primarily sold under two brands, maurices and Studio Y. The maurices brand encompasses women’s casual clothing, career wear and accessories. Studio Y represents women’s dressy apparel. The maurices stores are typically located near large discount and department stores to capitalize on the traffic those retailers generate. During the fiscal year ended July 25, 2009 (fiscal 2009), the Company opened 31 dressbarn Combo stores, and converted six existing stores to Combo stores. It opened 49 maurices stores during fiscal 2009. During fiscal 2009, it closed 24 locations, including 19 dressbarn stores and five maurices stores.

As of July 25, 2009, dressbarn had 6.4 million total square feet in all its stores and maurices had 3.5 million total square feet. It owns an approximately 900,000 square-foot distribution/office facility and 16 acres of adjacent land in Suffern, New York, which houses, in approximately 510,000 square feet, its corporate offices and its dressbarn distribution center, with the remainder of the facility leased to a third party. It also owns an approximately 360,000 square-foot distribution center and approximately nine acres of adjacent land in Des Moines, Iowa, which houses its maurices warehousing and distribution operations.

The Company competes with JCPenney, Kohl’s, Old Navy, Target and Sears.