Catherine's and Added Dimensions are competitively priced while Plus Sizes and The Answer price below competitors. All divisions centrally control markdowns which are taken during the season on slow selling styles. At the end of the season, merchandise is consolidated and liquidated through clearance sales. Advertising The Company uses direct mail as its primary advertising medium. Using this list of over two million names, each of the Company's operating divisions sends ten to twelve direct mail pieces per year designed to attract customers to its stores for special values or discounts.
Additional advertising is done in newspapers and mall required circulars.
In addition, the Company believes its stores' locations in convenient high traffic mall and highly visible strip shopping centers and it's creative store displays attract customers. Competition All aspects of the women's retail apparel business are highly competitive. The Company's primary competitors are department stores, specialty retailers, discount stores and mail order companies. Many of these competitors are larger and have greater financial, marketing and other resources than the Company. The Company believes that the breadth of its merchandise assortments, including sizes over 26, its advertising programs, its customer service and its ability to obtain desirable store locations are important factors in enabling it to compete effectively.