OshKosh B’Gosh Inc. was once a pioneer.
The Oshkosh, Wis.-based apparel-maker upgraded the style quotient of baby clothing and captured the fancy of an increasingly affluent U.S. middle class in the process. OshKosh’s most memorable item: a baby-size version of its trademark denim bib overalls.
The company’s formula of dressing babies in pint-size versions of adult outfits likely was the inspiration for Gap Kids and others that followed. But OshKosh’s adorable outfits were costly because they were produced domestically, and that led to a spate of knockoffs produced overseas. One of the retailers that did the best job of beating OshKosh at its own game was Target Corp., the fast-growing, trendy discount chain with extensive manufacturing connections in the Far East.
Now, OshKosh is joining forces with Target’s empire.
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On Thursday, OshKosh said it will begin selling the company’s portfolio of brands, including Genuine Girl and Genuine Blues, along with licensed products, to Mervyn’s, one of Target’s three divisions.
“Our entrance into one of the largest chains on the West Coast will allow us to increase our overall sales while expanding our market reach significantly,” said Douglas Hyde, chief executive of OshKosh B’Gosh.
Most folks in the Midwest aren’t familiar with Mervyn’s, because it doesn’t have any stores here, though a few are located in Minneapolis, where Target is headquartered. But if you want to get a sense of Mervyn’s, think of Kohl’s with poor service and sloppy stores.
Mervyn’s has been an ugly stepsister in Target’s household for years. Nothing Target has tinkered with, including merchandise, management and store design, has done the trick. In a pattern that repeats itself nearly every month, Mervyn’s same-store sales fell 10 percent in May, dragging down the 4.6 percent increase at Target’s discount chain.
So we have to wonder about the wisdom of OshKosh’s move. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to tie the company’s fate to one of the Dairyland’s biggest success stories, especially because Kohl’s is growing at a fast clip while Mervyn’s is actually shrinking?
Sometimes retailing makes strange bedfellows. Just look at Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Lands’ End Inc.
Joie de vivre: Chacok, the Oak Street boutique known for its colorful South of France-inspired fashions, is putting on an informal fashion show the evening of June 15 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Union of French Expatriates of Chicago, an international association of French nationals and other Francophones living in the U.S.
The event will be the first at the new Sofitel Water Tower Hotel.
Urban legend: The Neiman Marcus cookie recipe hoax refuses to die. If you haven’t heard, it’s the one where a lady claims she was charged $250 for a chocolate chip cookie recipe in a Neiman Marcus restaurant when she thought she was only paying $2.50.
It’s a long tale that culminates in the lady providing the recipe to others and pleading with them to spread it as far as possible so Neiman Marcus never gets a penny from it.
One of our colleagues received it as part of an e-mail message last week. But it’s actually been around for more than 50 years, and it’s still as untrue as it ever was.
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