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Pantyhose sales hit a snag

Now that bare legs aren't an office no- no, ho s i e ry ma k ers struggle with sagging sales.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published January 15, 2007

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Here's a little secret, guys: Wearing pantyhose is no fun.

Sure, their sheer allure enhances the legs. But they're tight, uncomfortable and one little rip can make them run - and ruin an entire outfit. And while they once were a staple in a career woman's wardrobe, sheer hosiery today faces an even a bigger snag that can't be fixed with clear nail polish or a Band-Aid: more than a decade of declining sales.

At Hanesbrands, the nation's leading seller of women's sheer hosiery, the company has been straightforward with investors about the decline. The company said it continues to work on product innovations and is trying to take advantage of fashion trends, but admits there is little that can be done about the sales decline until the fashion pendulum swings back its way.

"The casualization of the workplace, it is not as strict as before," said Romaine Sargent, vice president and general manager of marketing for hosiery at Hanesbrands. "Women have more options and some are choosing to wear sheer hosiery less."

According to the company, women ages 25 to 54 wear pantyhose an average of 1.8 times a week, down from 3.5 times a week a decade ago. Hosiery sales at Hanesbrands, which includes sheer hosiery (pantyhose, knee-high and thigh high), leggings, tights and trouser socks, totaled $290-million in fiscal 2006 - a nearly 68 percent drop from the $895-million in sales the company did in fiscal 1995.

The problem, industry experts say, is the generation gap between women who remember a time when stockings and pumps were required workplace attire and slacks were a no-no, an era enshrined forever in the 1980 Jane Fonda-Lily Tomlin comedy 9 to 5.

Nowadays, the trendsetters in many offices wear Capri-style pants, dress shorts, open-toe sandals or even flip-flops.

"The traditional waist-high pantyhose garment thrived in the 1980s, it was at a peak," said Sally Kay, president and CEO of the Hosiery Association, a Charlotte, N.C., trade organization. "But with the onset of the Internet in the '90s, and the ability to work from home, that's when we start to see sales decline."

Women 40 or older are Hanesbrands' best hosiery customers. Women in the 20- to 35-year-old range wear less sheer hosiery, but show greater interest in alternatives like leggings, tights, trouser socks and even thigh-high hosiery.

Hanesbrands is addressing its problem in several ways. One is by offering pantyhose alternatives like tights, leggings and trouser socks, although Sargent cautions that the company is not "looking to aggressively spend money" on product development in those areas.

Another is by marketing various sheer hosiery innovations. In addition to the longstanding "control top" feature, which slims the tummy and the rear for a smoother look under clothes, the company offers "anti-cellulite" nylons and stockings that promise to hydrate your legs.

[Last modified January 14, 2007, 20:08:12]