• Women's Wear Daily, Wednesday, November 7, 2007 12:15 PM

Kellwood, the $1.96 billion apparel vendor based in St. Louis, sold its Smart Shirts manufacturing division yesterday to Youngor Group and announced that its future would be as a "brand-focused marketing enterprise."

At the conclusion of a five-year strategic plan in 2012, Kellwood hopes to be equally balanced between its traditional mainstream brands and better- and above-priced brands, as compared to moderate business making up 70% of sales today. It also expects owned brands to contribute 70% percent of sales, from half today, and private brands dropping to only 10% of business from 28% today.

Kellwood expects organic sales growth of 4% to 5% annually by expanding four brands it acquired in the last year--Hollywould, Vince, Hanna Andersson and Royal Robbins--and other higher-margin brands including XOXO, the licensed Calvin Klein white label and Democracy, which it relaunched for spring 2007. Details include retail expansion with a few additional Hollywould stores, and 60 new stores for Hanna Andersson, a children's wear brand.

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