Some Department Stores Say Ciao to Petites
By CHRISTINA OCCHIPINTI:: June 6, 2006

If you're a woman 5 feet 4 inches tall or smaller, you might notice something missing the next time you go shopping – the petite department.

Several high-end retailers, including Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, have done away with or are cutting back their petite departments.

Stacey Karesh, public relations manager for Neiman Marcus, said the White Plains store eliminated its petite department about a year ago due to a lack of sales.

“We got rid of our petite department for (the) mere fact that we weren't getting the customers. There wasn't a real demand for it.”

Karesh said the sales staff is introducing customers to designers that tend to run their products in smaller sizes.

“A few customers will ask for the petite department, but we are turning them onto designers that are cut for them. A lot of our designers are cutting a more petite design. For example, Diane Von Furstenberg, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Theory are designs that are petite, so they are taking care of them.”

Petites can still shop in their own department over at Bloomingdale's in White Plains. Anne Keating, senior vice president of Bloomingdale's, said the demand has kept the department intact.

“Bloomingdale's has petites in all of our stores. Like every business, the size of the department is commensurate with the demand of the customer where the store is located.  Bloomingdale's is highly sensitive to our customers needs as well as to the supply of the appropriate merchandise in the marketplace. Our White Plains location has a large petites department.”