text: Dressbarn.com is an online retailer of women’s clothing. The company’s name is connected to the former women’s clothing chain Ascena, which operated from 1962 to 2019. Today, the company is owned by a Miami, Florida-based corporation called Retail Ecommerce Ventures. The company was founded in 1962 and has over 18,000 employees. Multiple brick-and-mortar shops are also owned by the company. The company was founded by two brothers and has grown at a rapid rate.
  The rise of the company to prominence began in mid-1960s when Elliot Jaffe, a merchandising manager at Connecticut’s department store, was involved. Jaffe approached his wife, Roslyn, with a plan to open a women’s discount apparel store. They began to plan a test store together. Elliot retained his Macy’s job to support his family, but worked after hours to open the first Dress Barn store.
  Dressbarn was a brick-and mortar retailer for many years, but it never shifted to ecommerce. Its retail network was a major part of its success, and ecommerce represented less than 20% of the brand’s overall revenue. Dressbarn’s new strategy still allows it to grow at a rate exceeding 100% per quarter. Its online retail network has expanded, and it has increased its ecommerce site’s growth by 45% since April.
  The company’s original store opened 45 years ago. It has been managed by the same family since then. Although the company has had to change its name and focus many times, it has maintained its target customer base. The company’s current management team consists of Vivian Behrens, senior vice president and chief marketing officer. It is not clear what the future holds for dressbarn, but its success was largely determined by how well it had managed its transition.
  Founded by Roslyn and Elliot Jaffe in 1962, Dressbarn has experienced several changes over the years. In 2011, the company became part of the Ascena Retail Group. Tai Lopez bought the Dressbarn brand in 2015 and founded Retail Ecommerce Ventures. The company plans to relaunch its website in January 2020. Even though Dressbarn is closing many of its stores, the brand’s online success will be maintained by a new owner.
  Dressbarn’s target audience is composed of moderate-income women between 35 and 54 years old. These women have families and are employed in “pink collar jobs.” They want to feel stylish and keep up with the latest trends. The company has a number of unique marketing strategies to help them achieve that. For example, its employees post live shows on social media and hire fashion bloggers. These live shows provide customers with an in-person experience. Fashion bloggers and live show videos are designed to connect employees with customers.
  Dressbarn has ended its retail operations after nearly 60 years of operation. It will eventually close approximately 650 locations. The company has not yet revealed the exact closing dates. All Dressbarn employees will be working with the parent company during this transition. The company will continue to honor merchandise credit cards as well as gift cards. The stores will be closed by December 26. Customers can shop at Dressbarn’s online store as usual.
  In the 1970s, The Dress Barn, Inc. operated nearly 20 stores and was large enough to purchase products from famous designers. The majority of Dress Barns sold women’s apparel at prices 20 to 50% lower than department store counterparts. The company continued to grow and acquire other chains to increase their size. Today, they are one of the largest specialty women’s clothing retailers in the U.S. They also have their own private label clothing.