DXL Big + Tall: Built to Fit

December 24, 2021

Destination XL Group, Inc. (DXLG) is a specialty retailer of men’s big and tall apparel, with retail locations across the United States, Canada and London, England.


DXL Big + Tall has 297 Retail Store Locations in the United States

The Destination XL Group Inc. is the leading U.S. retailer of big and tall men’s wear. The company, originally named Designs, Inc., was founded in 1976 by Calvin Margolis and Stanley Berger as Designs, Inc.

Headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, DXL Group operates both retail stores and eCommerce businesses through its five trade names: DXL, Rochester Clothing, Casual Male XL, Shoes XL, and Living XL.

Destination XL Group is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “DXLG.”

DXL Men’s Apparel stores offer well-fitting and stylish fashions to men who wear waist size 38″+ and size XL and up. With clothing styles from top designers such as Michael Kors, Polo Ralph Lauren, Buffalo Jeans, Nautica, Levi’s and Cole Haan, Brooks Brothers and Lacoste, DXL is a one-stop-shop for the larger man who wishes to be well-dressed. Private label brands include Harbor Bay, 28 Degrees, Oak Hill and True Nation.


DXL Men’s Apparel Retail Store in Manhattan, New York City

In May 2002, when the Casual Male Big & Tall chain of stores was undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, Designs, Inc. jumped in and bought it. From that point on, the company put its focus on those stores, sold off its other businesses and assumed the Casual Male name.

In 2004, when DXL Group acquired Rochester Big & Tall Clothing, it gained access to designer brands such as Robert Graham, Tommy Bahama, Cutter & Buck, Jack Victor, and Robert Talbott. Also in that year, Casual Male hired former champion boxer George Foreman to be its spokesperson for new lines of clothing bearing his name.

In 2005, Casual Male changed the name of its stores from Casual Male Big & Tall to Casual Male XL.

In 2010, the company opened its first DXL store in Schaumburg, Illinois.

DXL Enters Canada

In 2017, DXL of Canton, Mass., entered Canada at a time when Grafton-Fraser Inc., the country’s largest big-and-tall men’s wear chain, was floundering and restructuring. The apparel market was being squeezed by less traffic to brick-and-mortar stores and more online rivals. However, sales in the big-and-tall men’s-wear sector climbed 3 percent to $645-million in 2016 from a year earlier.

DXL’s main competitor in Canada is Moore’s Clothing for Men which has 213 stores.

Both DXL and Moores feel the competitive pressure of Amazon.com Inc. which is stepping up its big-and-tall men’s wear offerings. DXL offers online shopping in Canada from its own U.S. site. Moore’s does not have an eCommerce site.

DXL continues to convert its Casual Male stores to larger DXL outlets, as it wrestles with the problem of creating brand awareness for this niche market.

DXL sees the potential for as many as 35 stores in Canada as awareness grows, compared with 350 in the United States.

Gloria Sauvé
Communications and Marketing

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