Fashion Bug Distribution Center in Greencastle Marks Milestone

The center, locally known as F.B. Distro, serves more than 1,000 Fashion Bug retail stores.

Source: Inside INdiana Business

Press Release

BENSALEM, Pa., April 26 -- Charming Shoppes, Inc., (Nasdaq: CHRS), a leading retail apparel chain specializing in women's plus-size apparel, today announced the celebration of an important milestone event - the shipment of the 1 billionth unit from its Greencastle, Indiana distribution center on March 31, 2005, at 3:11 p.m.

Charming Shoppes' Indiana distribution center - locally known as "F.B. Distro" - services the apparel distribution needs of the Company's 1,029-store Fashion Bug brand. On Wednesday, April 27, 2005, a ceremony commemorating the landmark occasion will be held onsite. Dorrit J. Bern, Chairman, CEO and President of Charming Shoppes, along with other Company executives, and Nancy Michael, Mayor of Greencastle, will take part in the celebration.

Dorrit J. Bern, Chairman, CEO and President of Charming Shoppes, Inc. remarked, "I am pleased for the opportunity to recognize this achievement, and applaud our distribution team on this milestone. I take great pride in the accomplishments of this state-of-the-art facility, which are made possible by the personal contributions of our dedicated and talented staff here in Greencastle."

Nancy Michael, Mayor of Greencastle, added, "I am delighted to commemorate Charming Shoppes' noteworthy event, and participate in their celebration. F.B. Distro is a long-standing and well-respected corporate citizen in our community. Greencastle has enjoyed the growth in F.B. Distro's employee base over the years, as well as their employees' personal involvement and commitment to Greencastle."

F.B. Distro is located on a 123-acre parcel in Greencastle, in Putnam County, Indiana. Originally constructed in 1954, the facility was purchased by Charming Shoppes, Inc. in 1987 from the City of Greencastle. At that time, the building occupied 500,000 square feet. By early 1989, Charming Shoppes had completed retrofitting the facility and hiring the staff for the distribution operation, and shipped its first unit on March 31, 1989. (Coincidentally, the shipment of the billionth unit occurred on March 31, 2005.) By mid-1989, the facility employed 163 associates and serviced 247 Fashion Bug stores.

Over the years, the Greencastle distribution center has experienced significant growth, in both the size and technology of the facility and the number of associates employed. Following two expansions, 265 associates today service 1,029 Fashion Bug stores and the facility has expanded to 972,000 square feet.

In 1998, the Greencastle facility, along with many other specialty retailers' distribution operations, was evaluated for efficiency in conjunction with the Kurt Salmon Associates Logistics Benchmarking Study. The esteemed study named Charming Shoppes' operations 1st among its peers in many categories, including productivity, overall qualitative performance (focus on cost, productivity, quality, accuracy, responsiveness, effective partnering, use of technology, and planning), degree of focus on cost and productivity issues, lowest building cost per square foot, effective partnering with external resources and third parties, and lowest inbound freight costs. Charming Shoppes was also ranked in the top tier in store shipment accuracy. Since 1998, Charming Shoppes' F.B. Distro has continued to improve productivity efficiencies by nearly 40%, through investments in supply-chain technology and processes, as well as through the well-channeled efforts of the F.B. Distro team.

Charming Shoppes, Inc. operates 2,227 stores in 48 states under the names LANE BRYANT(R), FASHION BUG(R), FASHION BUG PLUS(R), and CATHERINES PLUS SIZES(R). Please visit http://www.charmingshoppes.com for additional information about Charming Shoppes, Inc.

Source: Charming Shoppes, Inc.