Ann Taylor, Chico's seek buyers to overhaul their ageing brand image

New York

WITH Ann Taylor and Chico's FAS Inc fielding takeover offers, would-be buyers must decide whether ageing brands can adapt to a culture where women are dressing younger than ever.

Ann Inc, Chico's and other chains that have long catered to older professional women haven't built as much rapport with millennial shoppers who don't want to shop at the same stores as their moms, said Liz Dunn, chief executive officer of consulting firm Talmage Advisors. Even women approaching middle age are wary of retailers that are perceived as old, she said. "Forty-year-old women are not dressing in the sort of frumpy way that their mothers dressed," said Ms Dunn, who is based in New York. "There's a lot more interest in looking youthful. It's a lot harder for Ann Taylor and Chico's to compete."