Why did limited too change to justice?

Tween Brands plans to convert about 560 Limited Too stores to its higher value-oriented Justice brand, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Both stores sell fashion basics to the 7- to 14-year-old girl demographic. The conversion is expected to be complete by the end of the first quarter of 2009.

The Justice chain has 310 stores and has averaged double digit comparable store sales during the last 14 quarters.

Tween operates a Limited Too store at The Citadel mall in Colorado Springs.

The company plans to close 26 underperforming Limited Too stores by the end of fiscal 2008 and monitor an additional 90 former Limited Too locations for possible off-mall relocation under the Justice Brand.

Retailers were able to continue the sales momentum experienced through much of the summer thanks to the last of federal government rebate checks sent to consumers.

According to the National Retail Federation, industry sales for July (excluding automobiles, restaurants and gas stations) rose 0.3 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month and increased 4.7 percent unadjusted over last year.

July retail sales figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department showed total sales decreased 0.1 percent seasonally adjusted from the previous month but increased 4.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year. June retail sales were revised up to a 0.3 percent increase compared to May, after the Commerce Department initially said June sales rose only 0.1 percent.

“While discounters were the biggest beneficiaries of rebate checks, consumers were still spreading the wealth among other retailers,” said NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells. “Because most of the rebate checks have already been distributed, retailers will face increased challenges generating sales in the months ahead.”

Most retail categories enjoyed strong gains during July.

General merchandise retailers, including discounters, were big winners for the month with sales increasing 0.3 percent seasonally adjusted compared to June and 6.4 percent year-over-year. Health and personal care stores’ sales were flat compared to the prior month, but saw an increase of 4.4 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

Clothing and clothing accessories stores sales increased 0.2 percent seasonally adjusted compared to the previous month and climbed 3.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year. Electronics and appliance stores also experienced solid growth sales increasing 0.8 percent seasonally adjusted from June and 5.9 percent unadjusted compared to the same period a year ago.

Sunflower Farmers Market will open a store at 1730 Dublin Blvd. next summer.

The Colorado Springs store is the latest in Sunflower’s growth plan, which includes expansion in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Texas.

The company operates stores in Denver, Boulder, Highlands Ranch, Fort Collins and Littleton.

The natural-foods grocer plans to launch nine new markets in Colorado by year’s end.

Best Buy will begin selling the iPhone on Sept. 7, becoming the first U.S. chain to offer the gadget outside Apple Inc. and AT&T Inc. stores.

The announcement expands iPhone availability to 970 full-size Best Buy stores and 16 Best Buy Mobile stores.

Best Buy also sells Apple’s Mac computers and iPod media players. The company has completed a two-year conversion of its stores to include upgraded cell-phone departments and computer systems to handle cell-phone activation.

In Europe, independent chains have a much stronger presence, while the U.S. market is dominated by the carrier’s own stores.

AT&T, the exclusive U.S. carrier for iPhone, sells the device in more than 2,000 stores. Apple has 189 stores.

RadioShack Corp. sells AT&T phones, but not the iPhone.

Apple launched the second-generation iPhone on July 11. The two models are priced at $199 and $299, with two-year contracts.

The outlook for retail construction continues to darken, according to Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America.

Retail chains generally reported declines and feeble growth in sales during July compared to a year ago.

More chains have trimmed expansion plans, closed stores or gone out of business, adding to the supply of vacant space.

POV: It’s 2004. You’re in the Limited Too dressing room trying on your first training bra. It’s awkward—but while checking out at the counter, your mom lets you throw in a pair of those funky patterned socks with the individual toe compartments, which makes the whole experience slightly less traumatic. Ahh, to be a tween again….

But wait, what ever happened to Limited Too, anyway? We did some deep investigating in PureWow's nostalgic pop culture podcast, 'What Ever Happened To...?', where we come together to relive pop culture history and uncover what became of the celebrities and trends that defined our adolescence.

If you’re a millennial (or a zillennial), Limited Too was likely your tween heaven. But if LTD2 was before or after your time, here's a little refresher.

RELATED: 6 Ridiculous Things That Happened in Every Y2k-Era Music Video (& How They Shaped Millennials Forever)

In the early 2000s, Limited Too was every young girl's favorite store in the mall. LTD2 clothes were the epitome of "elementary school cool," and their accessories low-key put Claire’s to shame. The store was filled with sparkly graphic tees, glittery accessories, and everything you’d need for a tween’s dream bedroom (inflatable furniture, anyone?).

The store first came to the scene in 1987. By 1995, there were hundreds of Limited Toos around the U.S. At the store’s peak popularity, there were approximately 600 stores in 47 states and Puerto Rico—plus, 25 franchised stores in the Middle East. But by the mid 2000s, Limited Too pretty much vanished from malls and a similar store popped up in its place. Enter: Justice.

Justice first launched in 2004. It was owned by the same company as Limited Too—Tween Brands, Inc., formerly known as Limited Too, Inc. and Too, Inc. In 2008, Tween Brands announced that it would discontinue Limited Too. Over the next couple of years, over 500 Limited Too stores were rebranded as Justice and a handful shut down.

If you’ve ever been inside a Limited Too or a Justice, you know they looked pretty much identical. Both stores catered to the tween crowd and sold colorful clothing and accessories covered in sparkles and sassy phrases. The main difference was that Justice was a tad more affordable.

So, why did the company choose to replace Limited Too with Justice? It seemingly had a lot to do with the recession in 2008. Focusing on this similar-but-cheaper brand was an effort to increase growth and profitability.

“This is a bold strategy to capitalize on the tremendous success of Justice and the changing trends in our economy and our customers’ preferences,” Tween Brands former CEO Mike Rayden said in a 2008 statement. “Especially in these tough economic times, our customers are seeking the more value-oriented apparel available at Justice.”

According to the brand’s official website, there aren't any physical Justice stores open anymore. However, you can shop Justice on Walmart.

After being dormant for quite some time, in 2015, brand management company Bluestar Alliance bought the Limited Too trademarks. The plan was to cater to both tween girls and their millennial moms who shopped there in the early aughts.

In a statement to PRNewswire, Bluestar Alliance’s COO Ralph Gindi said, "Limited Too is a girl's market leader with a solid foundation of brand loyalty. Over the years, Limited Too has brought fun and joy to children's fashion shopping experiences and holds a special place with the millennial moms who are now having children of their own."

While you probably haven’t heard anything about it, the company did bring Limited Too back. It’s just not the preteen mall wonderland from back in the day. Instead, it's sold online and in-stores at places like Burlington, JCPenney and Amazon. In 2017, they even had a back-to-school pop up shop in New York City.

So there you have it. That’s what ever happened to Limited Too.

Want more nostalgia? Tune in to 'What Ever Happened To...?' every Tuesday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to send your "What Ever Happened To's" to info@gallerypodcasts.com—or just comment on one of our TikToks @WhatEverHappenedToPod.

"Limited to Justice" sounds like a TV cop show, but it describes a big play in the competitive tween apparel market -- clothes for elementary and middle-school girls sizes 7-14.

Tween Brands said last week it will convert all of its 560 Limited Too mall stores into Justice stores. Justice -- which focuses more on "value-oriented" basics priced about 25 percent less than Limited Too -- will operate more than 900 stores nationwide.

While Limited Too's numbers have fallen recently, Justice has comped higher in the last 14 quarters, according to Media Post. While the merchandise is similar, a pair of jeans at Justice costs $19.90 on back-to-school, while the special price at Limited Too is $29.90.

Girls' Circo jeans at Target cost $9.99.

On Tween's May earnings call, CEO Mike Rayden argued with Citigroup retail analyst Kimberly Greenberger's assertion that Limited Too's flat sales revenues were being spread over too many stores. "I don't just cannibalize and compete against myself. I compete against Old Navy, Kohl's, Penney's, Target, and Wal-Mart. That's where the share of market is, but I think right now the name of this game is growing my top line and my share of market," Rayden said. "The stores are profitable and I like having a 13 percent sales increase when the tween apparel market in the first quarter is down 10 percent. Those competitors are not winning in this space."

Instead, a quarter later, Limited Too will disappear almost completely, although the brand will appear in Justice stores. "Our customers are looking for the next great thing and their parents want more value for their dollar," Rayden said in an earnings press release. Tween Brands --which spun off from Limited Brands in 1999 -- swung to a $6.7 million loss in the second quarter ended August 2.

With a 13-year-old girl in the house, this is a category I know all too well. It's interesting to compare Tween Brands' earnings call-speak (from the May call) with my field observations. Limited Too's merchandise was overpriced, it relied too much on "save $25 on $50" discount coupons from its "catazine," and its sales strategies failed to map the reality of overstretched parents who already have to say "no" to their kids more than they would like. It's easier to avoid stores that practice obnoxious overselling, and that's just what happened to Limited Too.

Earnings call-speak: "We failed to deliver the right colors within Limited Too's sportswear assortment. That failure was exacerbated by the fact that we missed on color. It goes across multiple categories within our casual as well as active assortments."

Field report: Too much pink and blue and cutesy pastel plaid, too many items that don't survive the wash.

Earnings call-speak: "Lifestyles and licensed accessories and apparel had increases. ... Lifestyles is the biggest it's ever been. We did almost 15 percent of our business in that category, it's not purely Webkinz but we've never done anywhere near that kind of percentage in a first quarter versus about 5 or 6 percent last year. The margin on that is outstanding."

Field report: The rear third of Limited Too, near the cash wrap, is devoted to "lifestyles and licensed accessories" -- candy, cosmetics, accessories, toys, and media, featuring Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Neopets, and Webkins, among others. Salespeople push this stuff hard, and while girls love it, the upselling and cheesiness are major Mom turnoffs.

Earnings call-speak: "It impairs our outfitting strategy whereby we guide tweens and their Moms in putting color coordinated tops and bottoms together."

Field report: The two clearance-rack tops selected by your child appear in the dressing room matched with full-price jeans ($39.50), hoodies ($29.50), shoes ($44.50), and a necklace, all of which she wants. This ticks Mom right off.

Earnings call-speak: On Webkins: "It is really a very reasonable way financially for Mom to satisfy the Mom's greatest need which is the happiness of her daughter."

Tween's leadership, in 2004, created a similar but lower-priced chain for girls age 7 to 14 called Justice. Worried about what it saw as an irreversible change in consumer attitudes, the company decided to convert its 500-plus Limited Too stores to the Justice name and pricing in 2009.