Charlotte Russe - Fashion Company Profile
Charlotte Russe was a mall fashion chain for teenage girls and young women - fast fashion at low prices in more than 500 stores - founded in 1975 and named, in the spirit of its era, after a French dessert. Advent International took it private, and after a February 2019 bankruptcy filing the chain was liquidated that spring. The brand itself was sold to Canada's YM Inc., which relaunched Charlotte Russe online in June 2019 and reopened stores, and it trades in that form today.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Original chain liquidated in 2019 after a February 2019 Chapter 11 filing; the brand was sold to Toronto-based YM Inc. in April 2019 and relaunched online and in stores - the button below leads to the relaunched store
- Type
- Private - a YM Inc. brand
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States (historical chain)
- Founded
- 1975, in San Diego, California
Company Profile
Because the relaunched store is a new business trading on an acquired name - and to avoid implying the old chain still operates - this page carries no shop box. The mall-era chain, its labels and its 2007-2008 strategic review are described in the profile section below and in full on the history page.
Founded in 1975, the first Charlotte Russe store was opened in Carlsbad, California. During the subsequent 20 years, Charlotte Russe grew to become a 35-store chain concentrated in Southern California with annual sales of $70 million. Since that time the company expanded significantly, approaching 500 stores and $900 million in sales at the end of fiscal 2008. As of September 27, 2008, Charlotte Russe operated 487 stores throughout 45 states and Puerto Rico. The merchandise structure is stated plainly: the majority of merchandise is sold under proprietary Charlotte Russe labels, including Charlotte Russe, Refuge and blu Chic, with the remainder nationally-recognized brands popular with their customers.
Charlotte Russe History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
Charlotte Russe History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
When and where was Charlotte Russe founded?
In 1975, with its first store in Carlsbad, California, focused on women in their teens to early twenties with major fashion trends at value-oriented prices, in the historical record.
How large was the chain in 2008?
487 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico as of September 27, 2008, approaching 500 stores and $900 million in sales at the end of fiscal 2008; the majority of merchandise sold under the Charlotte Russe, Refuge and blu Chic proprietary labels.
What did the 2007-2008 strategic plan cover?
Five planks - brand positioning, merchandise assortment, inventory optimization, real estate strategy and capital utilization - under a new management team assembled in November 2008, led by CEO John D. Goodman.
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