June 8, 2003
Men Ask: Who Needs to Buy Clothes?
By TRACIE ROZHON
ITCHELLS is known around the country as one of the last great men's retailers — an icon of the traditional carriage trade, a bastion of ribbon belts and club ties, dark green linen jackets and light yellow socks, interspersed with Armani.
Now this venerable men's store in Westport, Conn., is shrinking its men's clothing space and expanding its women's department. Hermès purses at $4,750 are shoving aside Tommy Bahama sport shirts.
Mitchells is hardly the only merchant making a change: last month, Target said it would reduce the floor space for its men's collections — to make room for more food.
Across the board, from $5.99 Hawaiian shirts to $2,500 Italian wool suits, the men's clothing market has been dwindling for years. But now, analysts say they think the business may have hit bottom — and is ready for a turnaround. The optimism, though tempered, results not from any hot fashion trend, but from changes by the stores.
Drastic times call for drastic actions. Gadzooks, a national chain of casual clothes, jettisoned its men's line altogether and is liquidating its men's apparel. From now on, the company will carry only women's clothes. At Target, the company president, Gregg W. Steinhafel, predicted last month that "softer-than-average growth" in men's wear would continue nationally. The company will even downsize, slightly, the boys' section of the children's department.
Analysts point to many men's-wear shops that have either gone out of business or added women's clothes and accessories.
The changes were necessary because of a revolution in shopping habits, said Marshal Cohen, senior retail analyst for the NPD Group, a market research firm in Port Washington, N.Y.. Now, more men pick out their own clothing. Just three years ago, NPD's polls showed that women shopped for 76 percent of men. Now, women buy for less than half of them.
"Women work," Mr. Cohen explained.
And men have a different shopping style.
"Men don't need to see 40 different pairs of black pants, the way women like to see," Mr. Cohen said. `'They want to see three pairs of black pairs, have some clerk tell him what to wear with them, and move on. The stores simply don't need the floor space anymore."
"After a decade of decline, the stores are finally figuring it out," Mr. Cohen said. `'They know men want good service, in a less painful environment."
In the dismal atmosphere that shrouds the clothing business these days, men's wear is usually regarded as the worst performer. C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, which polls shoppers, said the desire to shop for men's clothes had continued to drop: it reported a decline of 8 to 11 percent in shopping for men's wear in the first six months this year, compared with the corresponding period last year. And in all of 2002, customers shopped for men's clothes 4 to 9 percent less than they did in 2001. The numbers vary by region: the falloff is higher in the Northeast, where suits have traditionally sold best, and lower in the South, Mr. Beemer said.
ACCORDING to statistics released last week by the National Retail Federation, the men's clothing business has been slumping for years, ever since men's-wear merchants ran out of new trends for the casual clothes that replaced the suit as the male default outfit.
After the suit died, American men loaded up on chinos and polo shirts — and made Gap's stock soar. But three years ago, with no clear fashion trend and a souring economy, men and their children, girlfriends and wives passed up buying more khaki and knit shirts — and Gap's sales fell, along with those of many of its imitators. But now, Gap, which has been steadily raising its percentage of women's and girls' clothing, appears to be recovering.
Analysts are looking toward Father's Day, next Sunday, as a test for the men's market.
Jennifer Black, a retail analyst at Wells Fargo Securities, says that while dress shirts have long been typical Father's Day gifts, she wonders what will happen this year. "What about those digital cameras and DVD's?" she asked. "There are so many boys' toys out there. Are people going to buy shirts and ties this year?"
Today's Man filed for bankruptcy protection in March. Another chain, Casual Male Big & Tall, just reported that first-quarter sales at stores open at least a year, known as same-store sales, were down 5 percent from the period a year ago. And Men's Wearhouse, until recently a hard-driving exception, reported a scant 1 percent first-quarter gain in same-store sales in the United States. In Canada, it had a decline of 8.7 percent.
"Men are bored; that's the bottom line," said Roger S. Markfield, a co-chief executive of American Eagle Outfitters, where the men's business has dragged down his company's sales, as reflected in declines in same-store sales. The company has been looking for three months for a vice president to reinvent the men's line.
The agony of shopping isn't the only problem for men's-wear retailers. Men are also saying they don't need any more clothes, said Mr. Beemer, whose grouphas interviewed 4,000 shoppers since the beginning of the year. "Men are getting more into home décor and definitely getting into buying outdoor furniture and grills," he said.
The statistics from the National Retail Federation also show a dip in sales at stores that sell strictly men's clothes, to $9.9 billion last year from $10.8 billion, unadjusted for inflation, in 2000.
"People want to know if men are ever going to shop again," Ms. Black, the analyst, said. "You'd think pants would be wearing out. A few pockets of the industry are doing O.K., but it's pretty dismal out there."
The women's clothing market has been helped by drastic sales and coupons, Ms. Black said. "But how many guys are into coupons?"
Apparently, not that many. At Abercrombie & Fitch, a drop in the men's business more than offset healthy sales of women's clothing, resulting in a 6 percent decline in same-store sales for the first quarter.
At Tommy Hilfiger, men's-wear sales last year dropped 11.7 percent. At Nautica, executives warned of the continued difficulty facing the men's collection for 2004. And at Federated Department Stores, which owns Macy's and Bloomingdale's, the chief executive, Terry J. Lundgren, said in an interview that selling men's clothes was "challenging" these days.
Men's wear is a brutal business, said Marc Cooper, who covers the clothing industry at Peter J. Solomon, the investment banker.
"The man in the household is the last clothing buyer on the totem," Mr. Cooper said. "The men's business started dying three or four years ago. I don't see it coming back."
But others see a change for the better. Michael Gould, the chief executive of Bloomingdale's, said that its men's-wear sales were up in the last two months. Mr. Cohen of NPD said that for the year ended in March, men's-wear sales over all, including department stores and other outlets, were $51.5 billion, up 1.1 percent from the previous year. Although an improvement, the most current total is still down 10 percent from $57.4 billion in 1999. (Mr. Cohen cautioned that there has been a change in the way NPD collects data — from diaries sent through the regular mail to e-mail responses.)
Pacific Sunwear is one of the big winners in young fashion, and its "Surfer Joe" look has recently been copied by bigger names, like Tommy Hilfiger. But part of its success, said its chief executive, Greg H. Weaver, has resulted from its quiet change in emphasis from men to women. This year, the company is aiming for 50 percent women's wear, Mr. Weaver said on Friday.
At the high end, Barneys New York has also shifted to where the money is. Its offerings, once all men's wear, are now 65 percent women's wear. "We already have a very well-established men's market," a spokeswoman for Barneys said. "We just have more opportunity to grow the women's."
The remaining male shoppers continue to move downstream, to places like Kohl's, said Mr. Cooper of Peter J. Solomon. But he said he thought that economic uncertainty was still a factor.
Stephen Gutman, the president of Beau Brummel, once one of the hippest men's shops in Manhattan, agreed. Last week, his shop, on Broadway between Prince and Spring Streets, was full of shirts at 40 percent off, and its windows were plastered with store-closing signs.
"The men's clothing business has been hit hard," Mr. Guttman said. "There hasn't been a real trend, something men just have to have. They're also confused: `Should we buy suits, or should we buy more khakis?' " He shook his head. "Most of us have enough khakis," he said.
Clearly, for most retailers, the problem is getting men back into the shops — especially into the department stores.
"I never shop in department stores anymore," said Robert M. Kneeland, 58, who lives in Sandisfield, Mass., and is a fly-fishing guide in the Berkshires. "Why would I?" When he shops, he goes to the upscale sporting goods store Orvis — but he hasn't bought anything new there in years. "I just took them my old Barbour coat," he said. `'They're mending it and rewaxing it for me."
Lawrence Sicular, a real estate appraiser in Manhattan, said he prides himself on being reasonably well dressed. Still, "clothes don't matter to me as much as they used to," he said.
"The clothes are less exciting now — too trendy, not classy enough," he added. "Brooks Brothers used to have wonderful classic clothing, but the last time I was there, it was all too hip."
Mr. Sicular, 49, still shops, but he doesn't buy much. "Occasionally, I get a really good deal at a discounter," he said. "I'm wearing a Loro Piana suit I got in a discounter on 86th Street for $325. I'm not willing to spend retail."
Others, like Joseph Galvin, a high-school mathematics teacher from North Scituate, R.I., say they don't shop at all. Some are confused: Should they be wearing suits, sports jackets or polo shirts to work? In any case, they say they probably don't need to buy anything: their closets still contain their old suits, which haven't gone out of style, and lots of chinos they bought when everyone was wearing them to work.
STILL others say that in an uncertain economy, it's women and children first. "And there's no service — I like somebody to explain to me what tie goes with what shirt, and what pants," said Gregg Clark, a retail consultant in Manhattan. "The department stores have lost their conception of service."
Jos. A. Banks, which traditionally has sold moderately priced clothing, has been known as an exception in the dispiriting men's clothing business. Part of the reason is its introduction of a heavy-duty service program, including writing thank-you notes to every client, said the chief executive, Robert N. Wildrick. The chain has also introduced a coordinated dressing plan that includes higher-priced merchandise. The sales staff takes pains to construct entire outfits: shirt, tie, pants and jacket from a range of "good, better and best" lines.
Some people, however, say that any rebound in the men's market will have nothing to do with merchandising strategies.
Mr. Cohen said because the American male is growing fatter every year, the men's clothing market may end up like the children's market. "Children outgrow their clothes every six months," he said. "But I read that men are outgrowing their clothes every three years. And guess what — men's clothing sales have been dropping for three years, at least."
June 8, 2003
Men Ask: Who Needs to Buy Clothes?
By TRACIE ROZHON
ITCHELLS is known around the country as one of the last great men's retailers — an icon of the traditional carriage trade, a bastion of ribbon belts and club ties, dark green linen jackets and light yellow socks, interspersed with Armani.
Now this venerable men's store in Westport, Conn., is shrinking its men's clothing space and expanding its women's department. Hermès purses at $4,750 are shoving aside Tommy Bahama sport shirts.
Mitchells is hardly the only merchant making a change: last month, Target said it would reduce the floor space for its men's collections — to make room for more food.
Across the board, from $5.99 Hawaiian shirts to $2,500 Italian wool suits, the men's clothing market has been dwindling for years. But now, analysts say they think the business may have hit bottom — and is ready for a turnaround. The optimism, though tempered, results not from any hot fashion trend, but from changes by the stores.
Drastic times call for drastic actions. Gadzooks, a national chain of casual clothes, jettisoned its men's line altogether and is liquidating its men's apparel. From now on, the company will carry only women's clothes. At Target, the company president, Gregg W. Steinhafel, predicted last month that "softer-than-average growth" in men's wear would continue nationally. The company will even downsize, slightly, the boys' section of the children's department.
Analysts point to many men's-wear shops that have either gone out of business or added women's clothes and accessories.
The changes were necessary because of a revolution in shopping habits, said Marshal Cohen, senior retail analyst for the NPD Group, a market research firm in Port Washington, N.Y.. Now, more men pick out their own clothing. Just three years ago, NPD's polls showed that women shopped for 76 percent of men. Now, women buy for less than half of them.
"Women work," Mr. Cohen explained.
And men have a different shopping style.
"Men don't need to see 40 different pairs of black pants, the way women like to see," Mr. Cohen said. `'They want to see three pairs of black pairs, have some clerk tell him what to wear with them, and move on. The stores simply don't need the floor space anymore."
"After a decade of decline, the stores are finally figuring it out," Mr. Cohen said. `'They know men want good service, in a less painful environment."
In the dismal atmosphere that shrouds the clothing business these days, men's wear is usually regarded as the worst performer. C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, which polls shoppers, said the desire to shop for men's clothes had continued to drop: it reported a decline of 8 to 11 percent in shopping for men's wear in the first six months this year, compared with the corresponding period last year. And in all of 2002, customers shopped for men's clothes 4 to 9 percent less than they did in 2001. The numbers vary by region: the falloff is higher in the Northeast, where suits have traditionally sold best, and lower in the South, Mr. Beemer said.
ACCORDING to statistics released last week by the National Retail Federation, the men's clothing business has been slumping for years, ever since men's-wear merchants ran out of new trends for the casual clothes that replaced the suit as the male default outfit.
After the suit died, American men loaded up on chinos and polo shirts — and made Gap's stock soar. But three years ago, with no clear fashion trend and a souring economy, men and their children, girlfriends and wives passed up buying more khaki and knit shirts — and Gap's sales fell, along with those of many of its imitators. But now, Gap, which has been steadily raising its percentage of women's and girls' clothing, appears to be recovering.
Analysts are looking toward Father's Day, next Sunday, as a test for the men's market.
Jennifer Black, a retail analyst at Wells Fargo Securities, says that while dress shirts have long been typical Father's Day gifts, she wonders what will happen this year. "What about those digital cameras and DVD's?" she asked. "There are so many boys' toys out there. Are people going to buy shirts and ties this year?"
Today's Man filed for bankruptcy protection in March. Another chain, Casual Male Big & Tall, just reported that first-quarter sales at stores open at least a year, known as same-store sales, were down 5 percent from the period a year ago. And Men's Wearhouse, until recently a hard-driving exception, reported a scant 1 percent first-quarter gain in same-store sales in the United States. In Canada, it had a decline of 8.7 percent.
"Men are bored; that's the bottom line," said Roger S. Markfield, a co-chief executive of American Eagle Outfitters, where the men's business has dragged down his company's sales, as reflected in declines in same-store sales. The company has been looking for three months for a vice president to reinvent the men's line.
The agony of shopping isn't the only problem for men's-wear retailers. Men are also saying they don't need any more clothes, said Mr. Beemer, whose grouphas interviewed 4,000 shoppers since the beginning of the year. "Men are getting more into home décor and definitely getting into buying outdoor furniture and grills," he said.
The statistics from the National Retail Federation also show a dip in sales at stores that sell strictly men's clothes, to $9.9 billion last year from $10.8 billion, unadjusted for inflation, in 2000.
"People want to know if men are ever going to shop again," Ms. Black, the analyst, said. "You'd think pants would be wearing out. A few pockets of the industry are doing O.K., but it's pretty dismal out there."
The women's clothing market has been helped by drastic sales and coupons, Ms. Black said. "But how many guys are into coupons?"
Apparently, not that many. At Abercrombie & Fitch, a drop in the men's business more than offset healthy sales of women's clothing, resulting in a 6 percent decline in same-store sales for the first quarter.
At Tommy Hilfiger, men's-wear sales last year dropped 11.7 percent. At Nautica, executives warned of the continued difficulty facing the men's collection for 2004. And at Federated Department Stores, which owns Macy's and Bloomingdale's, the chief executive, Terry J. Lundgren, said in an interview that selling men's clothes was "challenging" these days.
Men's wear is a brutal business, said Marc Cooper, who covers the clothing industry at Peter J. Solomon, the investment banker.
"The man in the household is the last clothing buyer on the totem," Mr. Cooper said. "The men's business started dying three or four years ago. I don't see it coming back."
But others see a change for the better. Michael Gould, the chief executive of Bloomingdale's, said that its men's-wear sales were up in the last two months. Mr. Cohen of NPD said that for the year ended in March, men's-wear sales over all, including department stores and other outlets, were $51.5 billion, up 1.1 percent from the previous year. Although an improvement, the most current total is still down 10 percent from $57.4 billion in 1999. (Mr. Cohen cautioned that there has been a change in the way NPD collects data — from diaries sent through the regular mail to e-mail responses.)
Pacific Sunwear is one of the big winners in young fashion, and its "Surfer Joe" look has recently been copied by bigger names, like Tommy Hilfiger. But part of its success, said its chief executive, Greg H. Weaver, has resulted from its quiet change in emphasis from men to women. This year, the company is aiming for 50 percent women's wear, Mr. Weaver said on Friday.
At the high end, Barneys New York has also shifted to where the money is. Its offerings, once all men's wear, are now 65 percent women's wear. "We already have a very well-established men's market," a spokeswoman for Barneys said. "We just have more opportunity to grow the women's."
The remaining male shoppers continue to move downstream, to places like Kohl's, said Mr. Cooper of Peter J. Solomon. But he said he thought that economic uncertainty was still a factor.
Stephen Gutman, the president of Beau Brummel, once one of the hippest men's shops in Manhattan, agreed. Last week, his shop, on Broadway between Prince and Spring Streets, was full of shirts at 40 percent off, and its windows were plastered with store-closing signs.
"The men's clothing business has been hit hard," Mr. Guttman said. "There hasn't been a real trend, something men just have to have. They're also confused: `Should we buy suits, or should we buy more khakis?' " He shook his head. "Most of us have enough khakis," he said.
Clearly, for most retailers, the problem is getting men back into the shops — especially into the department stores.
"I never shop in department stores anymore," said Robert M. Kneeland, 58, who lives in Sandisfield, Mass., and is a fly-fishing guide in the Berkshires. "Why would I?" When he shops, he goes to the upscale sporting goods store Orvis — but he hasn't bought anything new there in years. "I just took them my old Barbour coat," he said. `'They're mending it and rewaxing it for me."
Lawrence Sicular, a real estate appraiser in Manhattan, said he prides himself on being reasonably well dressed. Still, "clothes don't matter to me as much as they used to," he said.
"The clothes are less exciting now — too trendy, not classy enough," he added. "Brooks Brothers used to have wonderful classic clothing, but the last time I was there, it was all too hip."
Mr. Sicular, 49, still shops, but he doesn't buy much. "Occasionally, I get a really good deal at a discounter," he said. "I'm wearing a Loro Piana suit I got in a discounter on 86th Street for $325. I'm not willing to spend retail."
Others, like Joseph Galvin, a high-school mathematics teacher from North Scituate, R.I., say they don't shop at all. Some are confused: Should they be wearing suits, sports jackets or polo shirts to work? In any case, they say they probably don't need to buy anything: their closets still contain their old suits, which haven't gone out of style, and lots of chinos they bought when everyone was wearing them to work.
STILL others say that in an uncertain economy, it's women and children first. "And there's no service — I like somebody to explain to me what tie goes with what shirt, and what pants," said Gregg Clark, a retail consultant in Manhattan. "The department stores have lost their conception of service."
Jos. A. Banks, which traditionally has sold moderately priced clothing, has been known as an exception in the dispiriting men's clothing business. Part of the reason is its introduction of a heavy-duty service program, including writing thank-you notes to every client, said the chief executive, Robert N. Wildrick. The chain has also introduced a coordinated dressing plan that includes higher-priced merchandise. The sales staff takes pains to construct entire outfits: shirt, tie, pants and jacket from a range of "good, better and best" lines.
Some people, however, say that any rebound in the men's market will have nothing to do with merchandising strategies.
Mr. Cohen said because the American male is growing fatter every year, the men's clothing market may end up like the children's market. "Children outgrow their clothes every six months," he said. "But I read that men are outgrowing their clothes every three years. And guess what — men's clothing sales have been dropping for three years, at least."
nytimes.com |
