Sheer hosiery hits snag: falling sales
Women dress more casually, and younger buyers haven't tried pantyhose.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- 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 though they once were a staple in a career woman's wardrobe, sheer hosiery today faces an even bigger snag that can't be fixed with clear nail polish -- more than a decade of declining sales.
At Hanesbrands, the nation's leading seller of 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 current 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.
Generation gap
The snag, 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.
Nowadays, office trendsetters wear Capri pants, dress shorts, open toe sandals, even flip-flops.
"The traditional waist-high pantyhose garment thrived in the 1980s," said Sally Kay, president and chief executive of The Hosiery Association, a Charlotte-based 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."
Hanesbrands, created in September when Sara Lee Corp. spun off its apparel business, makes lingerie, underwear and other clothing for large retailers. The company's top brand is Hanes, which products include underwear, bras, socks and T-shirts. About 6.5 percent of sales comes from hosiery, and those sales have dropped each year since 1995.
Women 40 and 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.
Love-hate relationship
"I have a love-hate relationship with pantyhose," said 34-year-old LeeAna S. Valkovschi, a marketing specialist from Charlotte who wears nylons two or three times a week. "I love that they are complimenting to any imperfections that I may have. I hate that by the end of the day, they are so binding."
That kind of attitude has contributed to the 24 percent drop in overall sales in Hanesbrands' hosiery business in the past two years.
The current generation of adolescents and young adults -- Generation Y, or those born between 1977 and 1994 -- "has been known to create their own trends," said David Morrison, founder of the young adult marketing consultancy Twentysomething Inc. in Philadelphia. "Whatever they are going to be comfortable in is going to have main appeal."
Morrison and others note that while young people often take any fashion trend to its extreme, they aren't the only ones dressing down. The "casual Friday" trend that started in the 1990s continues to seep into the rest of the work week.
"The idea of simplicity is very appealing," Morrison said. "Whatever can be done to sleep a couple extra minutes."
And possibly save a couple of extra dollars. Depending on where you shop and the brand you buy, a pair of regular, reinforced toe pantyhose runs about 5 to 9; a three-pair pack about 10 to 15, maybe cheaper if on sale.
What's being tried
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, it now offers "anti-cellulite" nylons and stockings that promise to hydrate your legs.
Those kind of innovations raise costs, however -- prices for some brands sold at high-end department store can reach 50 a pair.
That kind of upselling is tough, particularly when the target is young women who feel squeezed for cash.
"They are asking, 'Why am I spending money on this? It runs, it does this, it does that,"' Morrison said. "A good tie for a guy is going to cost 50 to 100, and it can be worn again."