The Mercury Newsreports that Ann Taylor is going to stop stocking size 16s in its stores. Ann Taylor is blaming low demand but Crain's New York says some analysts believe it is a cost-cutting measure.
An Ann Taylor spokeswoman blamed low demand for the size in both brands, but some industry experts speculate that the elimination is really a cost-cutting measure.
"It's more expensive to produce," said one retail expert, explaining that larger sizes need separate patterns cut and fitted, which can be quite costly. In addition, production requires more fabric.
Ann Taylor was one of the last retailers to offer the size within its stores. Gap Inc.'s Banana Republic has not sold size 16 in stores for several years. J. Crew only sells the size online.
Ann Taylor has been struggling during the recession which makes likely makes it more difficult for the retailer to remain flexible and carry more products and sizes. They plan to close a total of 163 stores.
