Carter’s Overview

Children’s clothing, accessories, and gift items are designed and sold by Carter’s. A variety of products for children and babies make up the company’s product portfolio. Brands are offered by the company to national department stores, discount retailers, chain and specialty stores, and its own retail shops. Products from Carter’s are sold under a variety of different brand names, including, OshKoshB’gosh, Skip Hop, Simple Joys, Just One You, Child of Mine, and Little Collections. The headquarters of the business are in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, but it has operations all over the world.

In 1865, William Carter established The William Carter Company in Needham, Massachusetts, which marked the beginning of Carter’s Inc.’s history. William Carter was born in the English town of Alfreton, Derbyshire. On January 28, 1857, he arrived in the United States. Martha Lee became his wife. They had four kids together: William Henry Carter, who was elected president of the William Carter Company in 1918 after serving two terms in the United States House of Representatives; Mary Elizabeth Carter; John J. Carter; likewise Horace A. Carter. The William Carter Company had seven mills producing goods in Massachusetts and the South by the beginning of the 1960s.

In 1990, the business was sold by the Carter family. Carter’s and Target Corporation agreed to create the “Just One You” spin-off clothing line, which would only be sold in Target stores, at the beginning of the 2000s. Later on, Carter’s developed exclusive lines for Walmart and Amazon. Although bodysuits, pajamas, and dresses are all sold by the same brands, each brand has its own design team and pricing policies that are unique to the retailer. In 2005, Carter’s purchased OshKosh B’gosh, a rival, for $312 million.

Carter’s, Inc. made the announcement in 2012 that their $50 million, one million square foot distribution center, which will support their e-commerce, retail, and wholesale businesses, would be built in Braselton, Georgia. By 2015, the company planned to hire 1,000 people at the facility. Skip Hop Inc., a New York-based infant and child product company, was acquired by Carter’s, Inc. in February 2017 for $140 million in cash and up to $10 million in future payments contingent on achieving specific financial goals in 2017. In November 2013, a private equity firm called Fireman Capital Partners paid $50 million to acquire Skip Hop Inc.’s majority equity stake.

As of 2019, Carter’s operated 1,060 branded stores and outlets, in addition to selling its clothing through third-party retailers. In the years to come, the company intends to open an additional 100 stores in “mid-tier” shopping malls.

Under a variety of brand names, Carter’s Inc. sells children’s clothing and other products. These labels, in addition to its namesake brand Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, and Skip Hop, are available only at select retailers as of 2018. With the exception of Genuine Kids, whose logo reads “from OshKosh,” each exclusive brand states that it is “made by Carter’s.” Since 2003, Genuine Kids has been sold, prior to Carter’s Inc.’s acquisition of OshKosh.

OshKosh is a leading international retailer of high-quality children’s clothing and accessories. Its items are accessible in more than 50 nations all over the planet. More than 170 OshKosh-owned retail establishments sell the brand in addition to department and national chain stores. Wisconsin, is where it is headquartered.

From a design and function standpoint, Skip Hop differentiates essential products for families with young children. This company is aware of the difficulties parents face in adjusting to their new lives. Based on their research into how families use existing parenting products, they develop smarter, more creative solutions that combine cutting-edge functionality with cutting-edge design. The end result is a wide range of exciting necessities that make life easier for parents on a daily basis. Diaper bags, kid’s backpacks, travel accessories, home gear, and hardlines for playtime, mealtime, and bathtime are among the distinct offerings in its product portfolio. More than 5,000 stores in the United States and more than 60 countries carry Skip Hop products.

For many retailers, children’s apparel has been difficult to master. Babies R Us, Gymboree, and Crazy 8 have all failed to stay afloat, and some brands that have survived, like The Children’s Place, are closing down stores. However, despite the category’s ups and downs, Carter’s appears to be staying the same year after year.

With more than ten products for every child born in the United States, Carter’s based in Atlanta, has thrived over the past 150 years despite the challenges that come with the children’s clothing industry. Currently, the business sells its products through nearly 1,050 stores in China, the United States, and Canada as well as its website. It has established itself as a market leader in the babywear sector by developing solutions that cater to the specific needs of the sector. In order to stand out in a competitive market, it has developed a distinctive product design, name, and features.

Carter’s has partnerships with a number of retailers, including the three stores parents frequent most: Walmart, Target, and Amazon. It creates specific lines with their own pricing and positioning to appeal to the most important customers of each retailer rather than simply selling the same products to each chain. By customizing its offerings for its retailers, the company has been able to maintain its prominence among various consumer groups. Although developing such a system was initially challenging for Carter’s, the company’s Supply Chain professionals discovered effective methods.

Carter’s does not hesitate to grow and enter new markets. Carter’s KID was launched in 2018 as a line for boys and girls in sizes 4 to 14. The goal was to keep customers coming to its stores even after children reach adulthood. In 2019, it added even more styles and silhouettes to its preemie collection. It also sells its products in retail stores across Mexico and Canada, on e-commerce sites in China and Canada, and through international wholesale accounts, all of which have contributed to its international expansion.

Additionally, the company tightened up its inventory and supply chain systems. It put in place a planning solution that allowed it to learn more about its supply and inventory and, as a result, make better decisions. In the fashion industry, Carter’s manufactures and differentiates between 25,000 and 30,000 new styles annually using a different kind of ERP system. It manages approximately 31,000 stock-keeping units at each of its five domestic and international distribution centers to meet demand. It ships about 700 million manufactured units and 400 million selling units annually.

Carter’s keeps making investments in omnichannel. The company is making up for the fact that it was a little behind in adopting e-commerce. It relaunched its website in the summer of 2019 to make it more appealing to online shoppers. By also introducing same-day BOPIS, it has made it much simpler for customers to shop across multiple channels. This enables the business to utilize its in-store stock and expedite the delivery of products to customers. By implementing store fulfillment for online orders, the business intends to further leverage its in-store inventory.

In 2019, the company combined its loyalty program with Carter’s credit card, offering cardholders additional benefits such as double points and free shipping. Although it is still too early to determine whether their credit card and loyalty program will be successful, it is evident that Carter’s is constantly developing new strategies to enhance its existing offerings and retain customers.

• In 2021, Carter’s generated a total annual revenue of $3.4 billion.
• It had an operating income of $497 million in 2021
• It has an annual net income of $339 million in 2021.
• As of 2017, Carter’s had a total of 20,900 employees.

The company’s ability to sell essential, high-quality products to customers at attractive prices is one of its key success factors associated with the chosen competitive strategy. Carter’s Inc. could lose their lead in the young children’s apparel market if they are unable to maintain their innovation in the children’s apparel industry. The needs and preferences of consumers shift over time, as do fashion trends. As a result, it must adapt to these changes by continuing to be creative in order to keep customers loyal and avoid bad practices.