New York—With a 13 million-name database and 8.5 million catalog buyers, cataloger/retailer Delia’s has a circulation larger than even those of teen magazines such as “Teen People,” “Seventeen,” and “YM,” according to president Andrea Weiss. That sort of brand reach led the teen girls’ apparel marketer to shift the direction of its expansion strategy several years ago, Weiss explained in her May 7 session at the Net.marketing Conference here.

Founded as a print catalog company in 1993, by 2000 Delia’s had a significant Web presence as well. What’s more, the company had acquired nine additional brands, including community Websites iTurf and Gurl and catalogers TSI Soccer and Storybook Heirlooms.

But the multitude of brands, not all of which targeted the teen girls who are the Delia’s audience, drained Delia’s bottom line. In May 2000, the New York-based company began divesting all properties but the core Delia’s brand in a strategic branding effort.

“Multichannel chains such as Talbots and J.Crew have proven that there is big opportunity for growth by expanding into the third channel, retail,” Weiss said. She pointed to a statistic that shows that retail sales can account for up to 75% of a multichannel marketer’s total sales.

Delia’s now has 54 stores and plans to look into adding stores in demographically apt areas such as Florida and Texas within the next year. The stores have sales of approximately $400 per square foot, which Weiss said is on par with figures of established retailers with more than 300 stores.

New York—With a 13 million-name database and 8.5 million catalog buyers, cataloger/retailer Delia’s has a circulation larger than even those of teen magazines such as “Teen People,” “Seventeen,” and “YM,” according to president Andrea Weiss. That sort of brand reach led the teen girls’ apparel marketer to shift the direction of its expansion strategy several years ago, Weiss explained in her May 7 session at the Net.marketing Conference here.

Founded as a print catalog company in 1993, by 2000 Delia’s had a significant Web presence as well. What’s more, the company had acquired nine additional brands, including community Websites iTurf and Gurl and catalogers TSI Soccer and Storybook Heirlooms.

But the multitude of brands, not all of which targeted the teen girls who are the Delia’s audience, drained Delia’s bottom line. In May 2000, the New York-based company began divesting all properties but the core Delia’s brand in a strategic branding effort.

“Multichannel chains such as Talbots and J.Crew have proven that there is big oppurtunity for growth by expanding into the third channel, retail,” Weiss said. She pointed to a statistic that shows that retail sales can account for up to 75% of a multichannel marketer’s total sales.

Delia’s now has 54 stores and plans to look into adding stores in demographically apt areas such as Florida and Texas within the next year. The stores have sales of approximately $400 per square foot, which Weiss said is on par with figures of established retailers with more than 300 stores.