Sponsor (Jan-Mar 1959)

Record Details:

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SPONSOR 21 FEBRUARY 1959 \/\AJ HOW BIG IS THE SOFT GOODS RETAIL MARKET? Women's and misses' apparel Suits, coats, dresses, blouses, etc. 20.7% Accessories Cloves, hats, lingerie, scarves, robes, etc. 19.9 Men's and boys' wear Suits, coats, shirts, ties, slacks, etc. 14.8 Piece goods Fabrics, blankets, towels, sheets, etc. 5.6 Home furnishings Rugs, carpets, drapes, etc. _ 4.2 Small wares Laces, ribbons, trimmings, etc. 0.2 65.4% PART ONE OF A TWO-PART STORY SOFT GOODS are coming in strong ^ Revolutionary developments in $20 billion soft goods industry spur new hope of hypoed ad budgets ^ Public and industry confusion about products, labels, and trends points to more broadcast use I here's a n«w industrial revolution taking place in the giant soft goods business, one which reveals excitingly and dramatically a tremendous unexplored area of sales and profit potential for marketers, media and admen alike. Running battles, which seem to be inherent in the soft goods industry, grew to revolution status a decade ago when synthetic fibers entered the competitive fray for consumer and manufacturers attention. Fil>ers. whether man-made or natural, are the ba-is of all soft goods lines. What are soft goods? They're components and end products which are not hard goods or packaged lines. Exclude automotives, appliances, furniture, drugs, tobaccos, foods and toiletries and you end up with many thousands of apparel items, rugs, accessories, domestics and fabrics which gross an estimated $10 billion a year at retail, probably another $10 billion at the wholesale level. Soft goods traditionally spend much more on publicity and promotion than on advertising, and more on print than on broadcast media. Rut as an ahead) complex industry becomes more so and as intra-industr\ competition increases, soft uoods SPONSOR • 21 FEBRUARY 1959 25