Charming Shoppes Announces Elizabeth A. Crystal Joins Lane Bryant As Chief Marketing Officer

BENSALEM, Pa., Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Charming Shoppes, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRS) a leading apparel retailer specializing in women's plus-size apparel, today announced that Elizabeth Crystal has joined Lane Bryant as Senior Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer.

Crystal will develop and lead the brand positioning, marketing, and advertising strategies for the Lane Bryant and Cacique brands.  She will serve as the brand strategist, working with senior leadership to elevate and expand the brand's presence.  Among her responsibilities will be to anticipate and exceed the customer's expectations of the Lane Bryant brand and image, to manage all creative, print, public relations and social media and to co-develop the in-store presentation across all formats. Ultimately, Crystal's responsibility is to produce profitable growth by creating marketing strategies that deliver a relevant, compelling message consistently across all touchpoints.  She reports directly to Brian Woolf, Group President – Lane Bryant, Cacique, and Lane Bryant Outlet.

Crystal's extensive career as a Brand and Retail Marketing executive spans nearly 20 years.  She was most recently the Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing for Revlon and Almay Color Cosmetics.  Prior to Revlon, she was Vice President of Trade Marketing for Buena Vista Home Entertainment, a division of the Walt Disney Company. During her career, Crystal has enjoyed successful assignments with Frito-Lay, Inc., Edelman Public Relations Worldwide and NBC.  She holds a degree in International Relations from Stanford University, and a Masters of Management from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Brian Woolf, Group President – Lane Bryant, Cacique and Lane Bryant Outlet said, "Let me say how delighted I am to welcome Liz to Lane Bryant.  She is an ideal choice to lead our overall brand and strategic marketing efforts, and will be an important addition to our leadership team.  She brings a wealth of experience in marketing, advertising and brand positioning, and is a seasoned executive with the skills and experience to help drive marketing and brand strategy."

Crystal added, "I am extremely pleased to be joining the Lane Bryant team, particularly against the backdrop of the Company's recently unveiled growth and development plans.  I look forward to driving and contributing to the expansion and elevated portrayal of Lane Bryant's strong brand heritage."

As of October 29, 2011, Charming Shoppes, Inc. operated 1,929 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. 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.figis.com, and www.figisgallery.com.

SOURCE Charming Shoppes, Inc.