Carter's is North America's largest children's apparel company, selling clothing and accessories for babies and young children through its flagship Carter's brand, its OshKosh playclothes brand, and several newer brands including Little Planet (organic/sustainable apparel), Skip Hop (accessories), and the recently launched Otter Avenue (toddler-focused). Baby and toddler apparel together represent roughly 80% of total apparel sales. Carter's sells through a broad multichannel model: over 1,000 company-operated retail stores across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; eCommerce; and roughly 19,500 wholesale locations including Costco, Target, Walmart, Amazon, and department stores. A key feature of the wholesale business is Carter's portfolio of exclusive brands — Child of Mine (Walmart), Just One You (Target), and Simple Joys (Amazon) — which together represent roughly half of wholesale segment sales. Carter's does not manufacture its own products; it designs in-house and sources finished goods from third-party factories, predominantly in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and India. The company's current strategy, under new CEO Doug Palladini, focuses on reducing promotional intensity, raising average selling prices, investing more in marketing, and expanding newer premium brands to attract higher-income Millennial and Gen Z parents. In parallel, Carter's is closing roughly 150 underperforming stores by 2028 and has cut roughly 15% of office-based roles to reduce its cost base.
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