Americans are big and getting bigger. In fact, two-thirds of us
are now overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The women's plus-size clothing market alone generates $22
billion in sales every year, according to market research company
NPD Group. And the overall plus-size market will grow 15 percent
over the next four to five years, says Marshal Cohen, chief
industry analyst at NPD Group.
Celebrities from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to Queen Latifah and
George Foreman are responding with plus-size clothing lines, and
Old Navy launched a plus-size line in July. At least 800 Web sites
now offer plus-size items, ranging from lingerie and pantyhose to
promwear and wet suits up to size 4X. Torrid, a mall chain that
carries plus-size clothing aimed at women aged 15 to 29, has grown
to 52 stores nationwide.
Today's plus-size person wants to be just as fashionable as
anyone else, says Lisa Alpern, founder and creative director of
Beauty
Plus Power, a New York City online style magazine focused
on twentysomething women wearing sizes 12 to 24. The real growth
"is in junior-plus merchandise," she says.
"They're starting to make the clothes younger, hipper
[and] with a more body-conscious silhouette."
Content Continues Below
Kim Camarella-Khanbeigi, 30, is co-founder of Kiyonna, an upscale
clothing company with five employees that caters to women sizes 10
to 32. Based in Huntington Beach, California, Kiyonna just launched
a lingerie line, and sales are expected to grow from $1.2 million
last year to $1.8 million this year. Eighty percent of the
company's business is generated online, with the other 20
percent coming from sales to 120 boutiques across the nation and
overseas. "Our main focus is on selling directly to the
consumer," Camarella-Khanbeigi says.
Of course, this market is more than clothing. Bearsville, New
York, company Amplestuff sells plus-size products, including fanny
packs and airline seat belt extenders. Freedom Paradise Resort in
Riviera Maya, Mexico, is the world's first getaway for
plus-size people. And there are opportunities in everything from
plus-size furniture to wider shoes, says Schuyler Brown, a trend
spotter with ad agency Euro RSCG MVBMS Partners in New York
City.
Kids and teens are another emerging plus-size market. A Duke
University/Foundation for Child Development study found that nearly
16 percent of kids aged 12 to 19 were obese in 2002, making room
for fitness and nutrition programs and electronic gadgets aimed at
plus-size youth. Says Cohen, "If you build it, they will
come."
Hot Market No. 3: Pets
The U.S. pet market is projected to generate $34 billion in
sales this year, according to 2004 figures compiled by the American
Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA). Compare this figure
to 1994, when the U.S. pet market was worth $17 billion.
Reasons for the explosive growth include empty-nest boomers
doting on their pets as well as a wide array of products-from timed
feeders to automatic water dishes-that make it convenient for
anyone to have a pet. The pet industry "is growing and getting
stronger," says Bob Vetere, APPMA's COO and managing
director, who gets calls from VC firms seeking investment
opportunities in the pet market.
Harley-Davidson touts a line of leather dog jackets, Paul
Mitchell has a line of pet shampoos, hotels such as Starwood
Resorts offer pet-friendly rooms, and Japanese pet-toy company
Takara has introduced Bow-Lingual, a device that translates dog
barks. Anything that makes Fido feel like family is hot, and prices
in the pet category range from bargain to go-all-out luxury.
Emerging products and services range from the luxurious (pet spas,
massage services, toys and grooming) to the offbeat (pet
therapists, acupuncture treatments, liposuction, full-scale
funerals and urns).
Doug Grabe is barking up the right tree. Grabe, 38, launched
Atomic
Products two years ago with Alan Curtis, 53. The company's
growing pet products division, Atomic Pet, carries a line of
battery-powered Glowtronix products, including glow-in-the-dark
safety collars and leashes for dogs that retail for $15 and $20,
respectively.
Grabe projects $3 million in sales this year for Atomic Pet. His
advice? Define your market, and attend events like the APPMA trade
show, which featured 604 pet companies and nearly 600 new pet
products at its most recent trade show in March. "You'll
find people who have made the jump," Grabe says.
"It's a great way to prove your idea can be
done."
Page
1 | 2 |
3 