needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . january 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message chico s fas inc. type public nyse chs industry retail founded 1983 headquarters fort myers fl u.s. number of locations chico s 624 boutique 118 outlet white house black market 451 boutique 67 outlet stores soma 263 boutique 17 outlet stores 1 area served united states puerto rico u.s. virgin islands canada products apparel and accessories revenue 2013 net sales of 2.6 billion . operating income 2013 operating income of 142 million net income 65.9 million 2013 number of employees 23 700 2013 website www.chicosfas.com www.chicos.com www.whitehouseblackmarket.com www.soma.com chico s is a retail women s clothing chain founded in 1983 by a three person operation on sanibel island florida . contents 1 overview 2 history 2.1 1972 1990 2.2 1991 2000 2.3 2001 2010 2.4 2011 present 2.5 international expansion 3 chico s fas brands 3.1 chico s 3.2 white house black market 3.3 soma 4 stores 5 chico s collections 5.1 so slimming 5.2 black label 5.3 travelers 5.4 zenergy 5.5 zenergy golf 5.6 additional 6 white house black market collections 6.1 iconic black & white 6.2 white house black market shoes 6.3 workkit 6.4 instantly slimming 6.5 saint honor jeans 6.6 genius collection 7 soma collections 7.1 stunning support 7.2 embraceable 7.3 live.lounge.wear . 7.4 sensuous sides 7.5 vanishing 8 advertising and promotion 9 recognition 10 management 10.1 leadership 10.2 board of directors 11 philanthropy 12 controversy 13 references 14 external links overview edit chico s fas inc. is an american women s clothing and accessories retailer . the company was founded by marvin and helene gralnick and is headquartered in ft. myers florida . chico s fas operates three brands its namesake chico s white house black market and soma . the company through its 3 brands is an omni channel specialty retailer of women s private branded sophisticated casual to dressy clothing intimates complementary accessories and other non clothing items . 2 3 as of november 1 2014 chico s fas operated 1 557 women s clothing stores in the us and canada and sold merchandise through franchise locations in mexico . 1 history edit 1972 1990 edit founders marvin and helene gralnick met in 1972 while living in guadalajara mexico . in 1983 they opened a tiny mexican folk art gift shop in periwinkle place on sanibel island florida . 4 helene named the shop folk art specialties and then changed the name to chico s folk art specialties after a friend s pet parrot chico . 4 the store sold mostly art but the sweaters in the store outsold everything else so chico s folk art specialties transformed into a clothing boutique . 2 4 in 1985 chico s folk art specialties opened a second boutique on captiva island florida . all early boutiques were infused with mexican folk art combined with antiques and fixtures manufactured in marvin s in house woodshop . 2 4 in the beginning marvin and helene would not close the store until they reached a certain amount of sales each day . they also could not afford to have bags printed so the name was handwritten on each bag . 2 the first franchise store opened in edina minnesota in 1987 . in 1989 the company shortened its name to chico s fas an abbreviation for folk art specialties and launched the passport loyalty rewards program . 2 1991 2000 edit in 1991 chico s fas expanded into cities ranging from santa fe new mexico to newport rhode island . by 1992 the company operated 60 boutiques and began designing its own prints and patterns . 2 chico s fas went public in 1993 and began trading on nasdaq under the title chcs . it premiered its most amazing personal service maps customer service initiative in 1998 . between 1998 and 2000 chico s sales increased an average of 50 percent per year . 2 4 in 1999 chico s fas began online sales at chicos.com in 1999 . it also began advertising in national magazines including martha stewart living and marie claire . 2 2001 2010 edit in 2001 the chico s fas founders building opened in fort myers florida and chico s fas debuted on the new york stock exchange . 2 4 chico s fas aired its first commercial in six major markets on the today show good morning america and the oprah winfrey show and on martha stewart living . 2 average new store sales reached 1.45 million per year in 2003 . the next year chico s fas acquired white house black market a women s clothing company that focuses on white black and other variants of the two colors . chico s fas also launched soma an intimate apparel boutique . 2 in 2006 chico s fas added 24 acres to the fort myers campus to support growth and stock reached a high of 49.40 . 2 2011 present edit in 2011 chico s fas acquired boston proper which is a brand available online or by catalog . 5 two years later boston proper opened its first boutique at coconut point in estero florida . 2 international expansion edit in 2013 chico s fas expanded internationally by opening white house black market stores in canada . 6 on may 13 2014 chico s fas announced expansion of the chico s brand into canada . 7 three boutiques have since opened in canada . 1 further international expansion has occurred with its namesake chico s into mexico in 2014 . through an exclusive franchise with el puerto de liverpool liverpool chico s opened a stand alone boutique at perisur mall mexico city . plans for further chico s expansion into mexico include more openings of stand alone boutiques as well as branded shop in shops in liverpool department stores . 7 chico s fas brands edit chico s edit chico s primarily sells private branded clothing for women with a focus on jackets statement jewelry and clothing with bold prints and patterns . 8 the brand has its own unique sizing that runs from 000 4.5 . 9 white house black market edit the white house black market brand began in 1985 in baltimore maryland and was acquired by chico s fas in 2003 . 10 it primarily offers exclusively designed private label women s clothing and accessory items with a boutique feel . clarification needed accessory items range from shoes to scarves to jewelry and belts . 11 the focus of each seasonal assortment ranges from everyday basics to wear to work to fashion in monochromatic black white and related shades with seasonal color splashes . 12 soma edit soma was launched by chico s fas in 2004 . 2 the brand primarily sells lingerie sleepwear and beauty products . the brand also offers dresses and loungewear . lines with slimming solutions include loungewear swimwear and corsetry . 13 stores edit as of november 1 2014 chico s fas had 1 557 store locations . stores are located in 48 states the district of columbia the u.s. virgin islands puerto rico and canada . as of november 1 2014 the store breakdown per brand was as follows 1 chico s 624 boutiques 3 in canada ; 118 outlets white house black market 451 boutiques 5 in canada ; 67 outlets soma 263 boutiques ; 17 outlets chico s collections edit so slimming edit in 2001 chico s introduced its so slimming collection in denim a line that expanded to include pants skirts and dresses . the company developed a design technology they labeled hidden fit consisting of a hidden panel inside of the garments that supposedly resulted in a slimming effect for the stomach area of women s silhouettes . 14 black label edit black label by chico s debuted in 2011 . intended as a luxury sub brand underneath the chico s flag the label embraced higher end design elements such as leather trims faux furs and hand applied details . 9 14 travelers edit chico s travelers pieces feature women s apparel in an acetate spandex fabric that was made to travel . 14 zenergy edit chico s zenergy line offers women s active wear and loungewear such as pants tees jackets and pullovers usually manufactured in a blend of cotton polyester and spandex . 14 zenergy golf edit chico s zenergy golf collection was introduced in 2012 with polo tops skorts capri pants and shorts intended as sportswear for golf and tennis . in 2014 the label improved line with breathable fabrics designed with uv protection . 15 additional edit since 2013 chico s expanded its offerings to include swimwear a larger selection of footwear as well as petite sizes . 14 white house black market collections edit iconic black & white edit the iconic black & white collection offers classic black and white women s clothing options . 11 white house black market shoes edit white house black market s shoe collection is produced with breathable lining and a memory foam footbed . shoe styles range from flip flops to flats sandals and heels as well as pumps and boots . 11 workkit edit the workkit collection offers women clothing pieces that can be worn in the workplace while transitioning to after office activities . items in the workkit collection range from women s business suits skirts jackets dresses pants and accessories . 11 instantly slimming edit white house black market s instantly slimming collection is designed to make woman look slimmer . 11 saint honor jeans edit the saint honor jean collection features a wide variety of jeans . 11 genius collection edit soma collections edit stunning support edit soma s stunning support collection offers women with larger breast sizes 3 zone support that lifts shapes and is seamless . 16 embraceable edit the embraceable collection features bras panties and sleepwear . 16 live.lounge.wear . edit easy fitting loungewearg . 16 sensuous sides edit soma s sensuous sides collection offers a side slimming bra . 16 vanishing edit vanishing collection features back smoothing bras and stay put technology shapewear clarification needed and panties . this collection is lightweight . 16 advertising and promotion edit chico s fas marketing program consists of several components including rewards programs direct marketing activities including direct mail and email digital marketing efforts social marketing and outreach programs . 17 18 recognition edit in 1989 chico s fas was listed in inc. magazine s 500 fastest growing privately held companies in america . in 1993 chico s fas placed 13th on the businessweek s list of the 100 best small corporations . 2 in 2001 chico s fas earned a place on fortune s 100 fastest growing companies businessweek s 100 best small companies and the number one spot on forbes 200 best small companies . 19 the following year oprah named chico s silver ox cuff watch one of her favorite things . 20 on april 20 2005 the bellwether report identified the company and analysts began to track chico s fas because of its significant corporate development during that time . 21 management edit leadership edit the current leadership is 22 23 president and chief executive officer director shelley broader brand president white house black market donna m. colaco brand president soma laurie van brunt executive vice president chief financial officer and assistant corporate secretary todd e. vogensen executive vice president chief legal counsel susan s. lanigan executive vice president chief human resources officer kristin l. oliver executive vice president chief information officer ann e. joyce group vice president finance controller chief accounting officer and treasurer david m. oliver board of directors edit president chief executive officer & director shelley broader director and member of the corporate governance and nominating committee bonnie r. brooks director