Too Inc. finds Justice

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 3/8/2004 12:00:00 AM

NEW ALBANY, OHIO —

Justice, the two-month-old apparel retail chain by Too Inc., has included in its offerings a narrow line of soft and hard room décor items that cater to its 14- to 16-year-old target customer.

Too Inc. is also the parent company of the Limited and Limited Too.

The fledgling 15-unit chain — a 4,100 square-foot prototype with its doors spread throughout the country — opened in January. Like Too Inc.'s other stores, the main focus is apparel.

Room décor makes up only 2 percent of product offerings, said Robert Atkinson, Too Inc.'s director of investor relations.

The room décor department does feature some home textiles, including two styles of throws, two styles of floor and novelty pillows and four styles of beach towels, "which we position as accessories to swimsuits," he said.

"If we sell two (throws and pillows) a week, that's good," Atkinson said. "Room décor is a small area of the store."

Albeit limited in sku count, he said these items are an important part of Justice's merchandise mix because, "These girls like to decorate their rooms. It's part of their world."

Justice works with home textiles companies to supply these items, but Atkinson would not say which ones.

"These items are just market buys for us," he said.

For now, the store's strategy for its room décor line is to update the line with seasonal merchandise throughout the year, such as back to school.

In 2001, Too Inc had plans of rolling out a new concept store catering to 14- to 16-year-old girls and focusing on selling underwear, swimwear, sleepwear, cosmetics, jewelry, footwear and room décor, with clothing to represent less than 25 percent of the mix.

"We folded that concept last year," Atkinson explained. "Justice is a totally new and different concept."