No More Talbots Kids’ and Men’s

The Talbots Inc. (Hingham, Mass.) has announced it will discontinue its separate kids' and men’s' retail operations, closing its 66 Talbots Kids and 12 Talbots Men’s stores by September 2008, as part of a bid to focus more on its core, middle-aged female customer.

The retailer said the decision to close the brands was part of the company's strategic business review first announced in October. In that review, Talbots said it found the concepts did not “demonstrate the potential to deliver acceptable long-term return on investment.”

The 61-year-old women’s apparel retailer opened its first children’s store in 1990 and its first men’s location in 2003, generally adjoining Talbot’s women’s apparel stores in the malls so its female shoppers could conveniently pick up clothing for others in the family.

The company also said its fourth-quarter sales so far were trending below expectations lower for both its 1157 Talbots stores and 271 J.Jill stores, but did not provide details. It did say further strategic moves could be announced March 12, 2008, when the company releases fourth-quarter earnings.