Catherines Plus Sizes Closing at Rosedale Marketplace

It's the end of the line Wednesday for Catherines Roseville store.

The shop offering classic career and casual clothing for plus-size women at moderate prices is shuttering at Rosedale Marketplace.

Company officials could not be reached for comment on why they are closing the Roseville store. Leasing agents for Rosedale Marketplace also could not be immediately reached for comment.

But David Brennan, a Twin Cities retail academic, noted that Catherine's parent company, Pennsylvania-based Charming Shoppes, has had weak profits in the past few years and could be trimming underperforming stores. The company has about 20 stores in the Twin Cities metro area including eight Catherines stores and nine Lane Bryant shops, said Brennan, co-director of the Institute for Retail Excellence at the University of St. Thomas at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul

Brennan noted that the women's apparel sector of retailing has experienced a lot of repositioning and acquisitions. It is a niche that is coming out the recession more pared down, he said. 

On its web site, Catherines Stores Corp. said it now has more than 400 stores nationwide. "Our business fills a much-needed niche for women who wear sizes 16W to 34W, a range not readily offered elsewhere. Sizes 16WP to 26WP and 16WT to 34WT are also available, to the delight of our petite and tall customers."

Catherines originated in Memphis with a single store called Catherines Stout Shoppe, according to the company. "Owned by Catherine Weaver, the business aimed to bring style to the plus-size market. A group of investors bought the store in 1960 and formed Catherines, Inc.

Catherines, Inc. went public in 1991, becoming Catherines Stores Corporation. In January 2000, Charming Shoppes Inc. acquired Catherines Stores Corp."