Charming Shoppes Goes Global Online

BENSALEM, Pennsylvania, October 18, 2011 -

- Brings Leading Plus Size Fashion Brands to Women Around the World

Charming Shoppes, Inc., the leading women’s specialty plus size retailer in the U.S., (NASDAQ: CHRS) is pleased to announce that today, for the first time, consumers shopping for plus sizes around the globe will have online access to fashion brands Lane Bryant, Cacique, Catherines, Fashion Bug and Loop 18, as well as the more than 300 brands offered at the Company’s new plus size shopping hub, Sonsi.com.

“We’re excited to serve plus size women around the world, from Canada to the United Kingdom to Australia and beyond,” says Group President, Lane Bryant, Lane Bryant Outlet & Cacique, Brian Woolf.  ”Women asked us to deliver Lane Bryant internationally, and we listened.  Now women internationally can access the same fashionable plus size brands their American counterparts love.”  

Consumers in over 80 countries and territories worldwide can now experience the convenience of shopping Lane Bryant (www.lanebryant.com) and her sister sites with localized currencies and competitive international shipping costs.  All international orders are inclusive of duty, VAT and customs clearance with no surprise C.O.D. charges.

Charming Shoppes Direct-to-Consumer President Bill Bass says, “Introducing new e-commerce services like international shipping continues to position Lane Bryant, along with her sister brands, as global leaders with a more than 100 year-old tradition of innovation in serving the individual needs of women wearing plus sizes.”

Charming Shoppes has partnered with New York City-based FiftyOne®, a recognized market leader in international e-commerce, whose unique technology and service platform allow international shoppers to interact with a merchant’s brand while enjoying the same online experience offered to its U.S. customers.

About Charming Shoppes, Inc.

Charming Shoppes, Inc. operates 1,953 retail stores in 48 states under the names LANE BRYANT®, CACIQUE®, LANE BRYANT OUTLET®, FASHION BUG®, FASHION BUG PLUS® and CATHERINES PLUS SIZES®.  The Company also operates the Figi’s family of brands, including the holiday food and gifts catalog Figi’s® Gifts in Good Taste®, the home and gifts catalog Figi’s® Gallery and its wholesale unit Figi’s Business Services, and Sonsi®, an online marketplace featuring over 300 brands, and one of the largest online assortments for full figured women. For more information about Charming Shoppes and its brands, please visit www.charmingshoppes.com, www.lanebryant.com, www.cacique.com, www.fashionbug.com, www.catherines.com, www.loop18.com, www.sonsi.com, www.figis.com, and www.figisgallery.com.

Heather McGarry, +1-614-463-5611, heather.mcgarry at lanebryant.com