Type: Public
On the web: http://www.chicosfas.com
Employees: 18,900
Employee growth: 16.7%

Chico's FAS wants to color coordinate its customers with its own brands of chic clothes. Once a Mexican folk art shop, Chico's owns and operates about 1,150 specialty stores in 48 states, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Its stores are mostly located in enclosed malls and shopping centers under the banners Chico's, White House/Black Market (WH/BM), and Soma. The boutiques target middle-to-high-income women ages 25 to 64 with clothes made primarily from natural fabrics (cotton, linen, silk). Its casual wear includes tops, pants, shorts, skirts, and dresses, as well as jewelry and other accessories. Chico's FAS was founded in 1983 by ex-chairman Marvin Gralnick and wife Helene.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending January, 2011:
Sales: $1,905.0M
One year growth: 11.2%
Net income: $115.4M
Income growth: 65.7%

Officers:
Chairman: Ross E. Roeder
President, CEO, and Director: David F. Dyer
EVP and COO: Kent A. Kleeberger

Competitors:
Macy's
Nordstrom
Talbots

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