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Description of Business | 12 Months Ended
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Jul. 28, 2012
Description of Business | 1. Description of Business Ascena Retail Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Ascena” or the “Company”), is a leading national specialty retailer of apparel for women and tween girls. On June 14, 2012, the Company acquired Charming Shoppes, Inc. (“Charming Shoppes”) and its related family of retail brands. Accordingly, the Company now operates, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, the following principal retail brands: Justice, Lane Bryant, maurices, dressbarn and Catherines. The Company now operates (through its subsidiaries) approximately 3,800 stores throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, with annual revenues on a pro forma basis of over $4.5 billion for the fiscal year ended July 28, 2012, giving effect to the acquisition of Charming Shoppes as of the beginning of such year. Ascena and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to herein as the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and “ourselves,” unless the context indicates otherwise. The Company classifies its businesses into five segments following a brand-oriented approach: Justice, Lane Bryant, maurices, dressbarn, and Catherines. The Justice segment includes approximately 942 specialty retail and outlet stores, e-commerce operations, and certain licensed franchises in international territories. The Justice brand offers fashionable apparel to girls who are ages 7 to 14 in an environment designed to match the energetic lifestyle of tween girls. The Lane Bryant segment includes approximately 805 specialty retail and outlet stores, and e-commerce operations. The Lane Bryant brand offers fashionable and sophisticated plus-size apparel under multiple private labels to female customers in the 35 to 55 age range. The maurices segment includes approximately 832 specialty retail and outlet stores, and e-commerce operations. The maurices brand offers up-to-date fashion designed to appeal to the 17 to 34 year-old female, with stores concentrated in small markets (approximately 25,000 to 100,000 people). The dressbarn segment includes approximately 827 specialty retail and outlet stores, and e-commerce operations. The dressbarn brand primarily attracts female consumers in the mid-30’s to mid-50’s age range and offers moderate-to-better quality career, special occasion and casual fashion to the working woman. The Catherines segment includes approximately 422 specialty retail and outlet stores, and e-commerce operations. The Catherines brand offers classic apparel and accessories for wear-to-work and casual lifestyles in a full range of plus sizes, generally catering to the female customer 45 years and older.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the nature of an entity's business, the major products or services it sells or provides and its principal markets, including the locations of those markets. If the entity operates in more than one business, the disclosure also indicates the relative importance of its operations in each business and the basis for the determination (for example, assets, revenues, or earnings). + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Name Statement of Position (SOP) -Publisher AICPA -Number 94-6 -Paragraph 10 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6927468&loc=d3e6003-108592 + Details
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