DSW Inc. is making a bigger play for the children’s business.
The discount retailer announced Thursday it has rolled out DSW Kids departments in more than 200 of its stores nationwide. An additional 21 new doors opening this fall also will feature DSW Kids.
“Consumers have been asking for kids’ shoes in our stores for years, and we answered with DSW Kids. Now, the entire family can meet their footwear needs at DSW,” said Debbie Ferrée, vice chairman and chief merchandising officer, in a statement. “With so many of our vendors now offering children’s footwear, the expansion was comprehensive and seamless.”
Ferrée added that the kids’ merchandise assortment features an average of 210 styles per store. In addition, more than 2,000 styles are available at DWS.com, with an option to buy online and ship to stores.
Spanning from infant to teen sizes, the kids’ offering includes roughly 100 brands across numerous footwear categories. This coming spring, DSW also will debut two of its own in-house brands, Olive & Edie for girls and Max + Jake for boys.
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The departments, which will be branded with a special logo, will be outfitted with instructive shoe-sizing islands, complete with height-measuring flagpoles. Wider aisles will better accommodate strollers and make the shopping experience more comfortable for families. In collaboration with nonprofit Soles4Souls, DSW Kids departments will offer convenient drop boxes where customers can donate new and gently used shoes for children in need.
DSW will celebrate the DSW Kids rollout next week in New York with a “Big”-themed industry party.
