Annie Sez, the plucky retailer with the tag line, “It’s not just a store. It’s an obsession,” survived lawsuits from luxury brands, disgruntled vendors, Hurricane Sandy, bankruptcy proceedings and new ownership. Now Toronto-based YM Inc., which operates specialty stores under different banners and in 2013 acquired the chain, is closing or converting to sister brand Mandee all 20 Annie Sez units.
While Annie Sez’ 25-year-old-plus customers favored deeply discounted designer duds, Mandee caters to juniors, ages 16 to 25. In the last few years, Mandee has been rebranding itself as fast fashion with low prices, as evidenced by a young woman on its web site standing on a beach and striking a sexy pose in a bikini top and long skirt with a thigh-high slit.
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A message on Mandee’s web site says, “‘Hey, what happened to all the product on your website?’ We want your Mandee online experience to be exceptional, so we’re rolling up our sleeves and working hard to make it happen. This may take some time, but don’t worry, we’ll still be right here, updating our website regularly with our latest collection which you can find in-store.”
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Annie Sez’ site carried its own message on Wednesday morning that read, “Thank You. It’s been our pleasure to serve you since our very first store in 1976. Thank you for the wonderful memories!”
Affectionally known as Annie’s, the retailer was born in New Jersey. The state has been fertile ground for the off-price retail channel; Daffy’s and Sym’s were also products of the Garden State, and both nameplates also disappeared. One of the original off-pricers, Annie Sez featured deals on overstocks from designers and manufacturers, pre-dating retailers such as Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx, which contributed to its demise.
Annie Sez also ran into the deep-pocketed legal apparatus of luxury conglomerates such as LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, whose Fendi brand in 2006 sued parent Big M in Manhattan Federal Court, alleging that Annie Sez was selling counterfeit Fendi handbags. Big M settled for an undisclosed amount.
The founding Mandelbaum family — Ken, Bernie and Max — started Big M, and in 1948 launched the first Mandees in Kearny. An often-told bit of retail lore is that the store was called Mandee because the brothers didn’t have enough money for all the letters needed to spell out the family’s full name.
At the height of the business, around 2011, Big M operated more than 150 Mandee and Annie Sez stores in seven states, and said it was investing in the development of prototypes for the two chains, including a new, 11,000-square-foot flagship in East Brunswick, N.J., which was a model for existing store renovations, and a flash sale site, anniesez.com.
Big M faced down a series of challenges. If the recession wasn’t enough, there was also growing competition from new off-price retailers such as Rack and TJ Maxx.
With the possibility of bankruptcy in 2013, Big M sold the company to YM, which said at the time that it planned to continue to operate most of the Mandee and Annie Sez stores. Given YM’s previous declaration and its message on Mandee’s web site, it remains to be seen whether the plans come to fruition.