Lane Bryant women’s clothing chain sold to Fashion Bug owner

Tuesday, July 10, 2001 | 11 a.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Specialty clothing retailer the Limited Inc. is selling its Lane Bryant chain of women's apparel stores to Charming Shoppes Inc., owner of the Fashion Bug chain, for $335 million in cash and stock.

The Limited, which operates more than 2,700 stores under names like Express, Lerner New York and Henri Bendel and controls the parent of the Victoria's Secret chain, said the deal announced today for Lane Bryant would enable it to focus on its core fashion brands.

Lane Bryant operates 653 stores in Nevada and 45 other states. The company designs, markets and distributes fashion apparel, intimate apparel and related accessories to women wearing sizes 14 and larger.

Charming Shoppes, based in Bensalem, Pa., operates 1,774 Fashion Bug, Fashion Bug Plus, Catherine's Plus Sizes, The Answer, Added Dimensions, Monsoon and Accessorize stores. It had $1.6 billion in sales last year.

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