Jumbo-sized onesies catering for Britain’s army of plus-sized shoppers helped boost profits at one retail chain which has been cashing in on the growing obesity epidemic.
Simply Be, which caters for plus-size shoppers, saw strong demand for its collection of onesies - essentially all-in-one ‘romper suits’ for adults - which range up to a size 36.
It says as much as 5 per cent of sales come from these maximum sizes.
The firm said that almost a quarter of all onesie sales were above size 28 and that its leopard skin print was the most popular.
The firm, which specialises in servicing large and taller women, posted a 6 per cent rise in annual sales and has cited the onesies as key to boosting profits.
Chief executive Alan White said: ‘We ran them to size 38 – and they have been a great seller and continue to sell extremely well on the larger sizes.
‘The most popular have been our very loud patterns such as our Star Sunburst.’
The retailer, which is owned by Manchester based N Brown, has been one of the stars of the retail sector as increasing numbers of shoppers struggle to keep their waistlines in check.
Posting strong annual results yesterday it said its profits had grown by 2.6 per cent to £96.4million on total sales of £784.7million.
The firm - which mainly sells items online and through its catalogues at the moment - is now planning to open 25 stores across the country following a successful trial of seven outlets.
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It trades under the Simply Be, Jacamo, Fashion World and High & Mighty brands and says it now plans to crack America where the plus-sized ladieswear market is it estimated to be worth £22.9billion.
Last year it hired an army of super-sized staff to help customers feel more at ease in their stores.
It has been recruiting workers who are a size 14 and above who have to wear the chain’s range of clothing, which goes up to size 38.
N Brown also launched the world’s biggest strapless bra last year.
At an impressive 42K - the equivalent of a dress size 26 - the bra was said to be a ‘triumph of textile engineering’.
Simply Be, which uses mannequins that are double the normal size, also installed super-sized fitting ‘lounges’ where chairs have been replaced with sofas.
Its changing rooms also have ‘magic mirrors’ which allow customers to take pictures of themselves in clothes and email them to friends for a second opinion.
There is also a cash register in the changing rooms, so shoppers can make their new purchases in privacy.