Charlotte Russe is a specialty retail chain store

Chain store

Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 dedicated to selling trendy clothing and accessories under the Charlotte Russe, refuge., and blu chic labels. The company is based in San Diego, California. The company is targeted toward women in their teens through twenties.

History

Daniel Lawrence founded the store Charlotte Russe and opened its first store in 1975, in Carlsbad, California

Carlsbad, California

-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...

. The store was dedicated to selling clothes for women ages 14 to 35. The name comes from the French dessert.

The company was acquired in 1996 by the investment firm of SKM (Sanders, Karp and Megrue). The new owners had an ambitious plan of expansion for Charlotte Russe and the company evolved into a national chain of shopping mall

Shopping mall

A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...

 stores. The company currently operates more than 560 stores nationwide. The company is owned by Advent International. Jenny Ming is President and CEO and Kara Stangl is Senior V.P.

Susie Castillo

Susie Castillo

Susie Castillo is a former beauty queen who held the Miss USA title and competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants...

 recently signed on as the Charlotte Russe brand ambassador and Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...

stylist, Eric Daman, is going to help her design her own line influenced by her Latino heritage.

Charlotte Russe typically serves the same audience and competes with Deb Shops

Deb Shops

Deb Shops is a specialty retail chain store in the United States that sells women's clothing and accessories under its own private labels as well other well-known labels. The company is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and principally serves women in their early-teens through their late-twenties...

, Forever 21

Forever 21

Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....

, H&M

H&M

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....

, and Wet Seal

Wet Seal

Wet Seal is a young women's clothing retailer headquartered in Foothill Ranch, California. It carries moderately priced brand name and company-designed apparel and accessories...

.
This store sells jeans from sizes 00 to 16 and has clothing between sizes extra small and extra large.