Press Release
Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. Expands Industry Leadership Position in Big & Tall Category With Global Launch
Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. Expands Industry Leadership Position in Big & Tall Category With Global Launch
Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. Expands Industry Leadership Position in Big & Tall Category With Global Launch
CANTON, Mass., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMRG), retail brand operator of Casual Male XL, Rochester Clothing, B&T Factory Direct, LivingXL and ShoesXL, announced their Casual Male XL and Rochester brands are launching online in six European countries, extending their industry leadership position in the big and tall category to the global stage. The Web stores are live in the U.K. and will be rolling out in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands over the coming week and are providing the big and tall niche abroad with a wide range of fashionable apparel from top designer brands for the first time ever.
"We are very excited about entering into these key European markets and expanding our presence beyond just our U.K. Rochester store. Until now the EU market has had a limited selection of big and tall apparel and think we will be able to answer the markets needs by introducing our brands to the six regions," said David Levin, President and CEO of Casual Male Retail Group. "We are seizing every opportunity we can to dominate the big and tall lifestyle category in North America and now we have the opportunity with this global expansion to start carving out a leadership position abroad."
Casual Male has partnered with GSI Commerce, a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, for the design, development and operations of the six online stores. GSI Commerce is providing the Web store design, Web technology, order processing, fulfillment and customer call center services for the Web stores. Each online store is tailored to the specific European country in which it operates and includes country-specific components, such as online payment processing, content translation and customer services.
"Casual Male Retail Group has invested a significant amount of time and research into this initiative to understand and meet the needs of the European market. Our partnership enables them to enter these markets swiftly and with a premium e-commerce solution that delivers an optimal consumer experience with a high-level of customization," said Steven C. Davis, GSI executive vice president, international and president and managing director of GSI Commerce Solutions International S.L.
The demand for big and tall apparel is rising throughout Europe, with over 135 million European adults affected by weight issues. Additionally, individuals across several nations, including many in Europe are getting taller as a whole, further validating the need for big and tall options. Moreover, the number of Internet users in Europe is growing rapidly with a 25% annual growth rate expected between now and 2011, making the addition of these online stores a natural next step for Casual Male Retail Group.
In order to visit the Casual Male XL EU web portal, please go to, www.casualmaleXL.eu. To visit the web stores in each locale, please go to: www.casualmaleXL.co.uk (U.K.), www.casualmaleXL.de (Germany), www.casualmaleXL.fr (France), www.casualmaleXL.it (Italy), www.casualmaleXL.es (Spain); and www.casualmaleXL.nl (the Netherlands).
In order to visit the Rochester Clothing EU web portal, please go to, www.RochesterClothing.eu. To visit the web stores in each locale, please go to: www.RochesterClothing.co.uk (U.K.), www.RochesterClothing.de (Germany), www.RochesterClothing.fr (France), www.RochesterClothing,it (Italy), www.RochesterClothing.es (Spain); and www.RochesterClothing.nl (the Netherlands).
About Casual Male Retail Group
Casual Male Retail Group, Inc., the largest retailer of big and tall men's apparel with retail operations throughout the United States, Canada and London, England, operates 473 Casual Male XL retail and outlet stores, 27 Rochester Clothing stores, and direct to consumer businesses which include several catalogs and e-commerce sites. The Company is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, and its common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "CMRG."
About GSI Commerce
GSI Commerce® (www.gsicommerce.com) is a publicly traded (Nasdaq: GSIC), leading provider of services that enable e-commerce, multichannel retailing and interactive marketing for large, business-to-consumer (b2c) enterprises in the U.S. and internationally. GSI delivers customized e-commerce solutions through an e-commerce platform, which is comprised of technology, fulfillment and customer care. GSI offers each of the platform's components on a modular basis, or as part of an integrated, end-to-end solution. GSI also offers a full suite of interactive marketing services through two divisions, gsi interactive(sm) and e-Dialog (www.e-Dialog.com).
For Information, contact:
Ric Della Bernarda
Casual Male Retail Group, Inc.
781-828-9300
Jessica Perry
Weber Shandwick
212-445-8362