FullBeauty acquires US-based plus-size retailer Avenue

FullBeauty has acquired Avenue Stores from City Chic Collective, an Australian publicly traded company.

Avenue is a US-based digital specialty retailer of plus-size apparel, targeting women aged 25 to 55. Avenue, which closed its 220 store portfolio across 35 states in 2019, continues to operate an ecommerce business selling through Avenue.com and other websites.

The company said in a statement that post-acquisition, Avenue.com will be integrated into FullBeauty’s classic mall, adding brands including Avenue, Aveleisure, Cloudwalkers, Zim Zoe, Loralette, Avenue Studio, Aveology and Avenue Body. The acquisition of Avenue will provide FullBeauty further scale and increased market presence in the women’s plus-size sector.

“We are excited to welcome Avenue to the FullBeauty Brands family, which we believe will further our leading position in size-inclusive fashion as the one-stop destination for great fitting, quality, on-trend, size-inclusive apparel,” said Jim Fogarty, FullBeauty Brands CEO.

FullBeauty purchased plus-size brand Catherine’s in 2020, and turned its stores footprint that serviced a boomer demographic into a successful ecommerce brand with strong brand equity.

Avenue is FullBeauty’s fourth acquisition in just over a year, following its recent purchases of Dia, aa online, inclusive fashion marketplace and flagship personal styling experience; CUUP, a digitally native size-inclusive intimates brand; and Eloquii, a digitally native vertical brand that offers size-inclusive fashion and apparel.

FullBeauty was advised in the transaction by Guggenheim Securities and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.