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Retailers are thinking small when it comes to the bag category for fall and Back-to-School. But it isn't small sales gains that are on their minds. Rather, it is smaller goods, such as minibackpacks, wallets on a string and agendas that can be toted around like a purse.
That doesn't mean small value, however. Regardless of size, "the big theme is that people are looking for bags with functions like extra pockets or features that help them get organized," explains Abe Chehebar, president of Accessory Network in New York, a major supplier of bags. "It is all part of the value-driven '90s and the need to get things organized."
Buyers say that shoppers' quest to get their lives in order is filtering down to every level, including handbags. The trend is resulting in plus sales for mass marketers, with some expecting second half 1995 sales to surpass last year's by 15 percent to 20 percent.
Chehebar adds that the increased functionality of the bags is allowing retailers to increase average tickets by $1 to $2.
"When you add organizing capabilities, people are happy to pay a little more," he says.
Adds Kim Anderson-Curry, division merchandising manager for Sears, "It is a new customer with new needs, and they want products that can help simplify their lives."
Although handbags have...