The Limited Too Is Back For "Millennial Moms" And Their Tweens

The company that owns and manages brands like Nanette Lepore and Kensie just bought the Limited Too brand trademark and plans to bring the chain back.

Behance / Via m2.behance.net

A brand management company is planning to resurrect the once-beloved Limited Too chain in a bet that it will strike a chord with nostalgic "millennial moms."

"Over the years Limited Too has brought fun and joy to children's fashion shopping experiences and holds a special place with the millennial moms who are now having children of their own," Ralph Gindi, chief executive officer of Bluestar Alliance, said in a statement yesterday.

Bluestar, which owns and manages brands like Kensie and Nanette Lepore, reportedly acquired the Limited Too trademarks from Sun Capital Partners, the private equity firm that owns The Limited.

"We will engage in a social media and marketing blitz that will have a clear and concise message to both the tween consumer and her mom, that 'It's time to have fun shopping again,'" Bluestar CEO Joey Gabbay said in the statement.

(How time flies, if the oft-marketed to millennials are already producing coveted tween consumers.)

Unlike the Limited Too of yesterday, the resurrected version will make its way into department stores, and have an e-commerce presence. It's not yet clear how many standalone locations it will open. Bluestar says it plans to "stay true to the brand DNA and mantra of 'It's a Girls' World.'"

In a complicated twist, the new Limited Too will compete against its old self, which is the chain Justice. (In fact, LimitedToo.com redirects to Justice's website.)

Here's how that works: The Limited Too was once a part of L Brands, the company that owns Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works. The company spun it out in the late 1990s under the name Tween Brands, and the business thrived for years until the recession hit. In mid-2008, Tween Brands decided to convert its 560 Limited Too stores to Justice locations, its lower-priced chain for girls that was performing better with value-conscious consumers. Tween Brands, in turn, was acquired by a company now known as Ascena Retail Group in 2009, and says it operates more than 1,000 Justice stores, selling "the hottest fashion merchandise and accessories" for 7- to 14-year-old girls.

But Justice might not have the same cache with the 20- and 30-something mom set that the Limited Too might. Justice was created in 2004, while the Limited Too emerged in 1987 — the same year many so-called millennial were born. (There's a Facebook group called, "When I was your age, we had Limited Too, not Justice.")

"The product mix will fill a void in the market where fashion, fun and value are all in-sync," Gabbay said.