Big Girls might cry as lingerie customers left empty-handed

It had 100,000 customers and annual sales of more $6 million. So what went wrong at Brisbane lingerie business Big Girls Don’t Cry (Anymore).

Customers scrambling to get ordered products or refunds from failed Brisbane lingerie business Big Girls Don’t Cry (Anymore) have been warned some will miss out.

Liquidator Jarvis Archer, of Revive Financial, said he was still determining the extent of unfilled orders and unclaimed gift cards sold by the business.

“We understand a large stock shipment was received last week, and many orders were subsequently fulfilled prior to liquidation,” said Mr Archer. “For a business of this size, we expect that there will unfortunately be customers who are impacted by the liquidation.”

The 28-year-old Virginia-based company collapsed earlier this week owing creditors an estimated $2.2m and leaving 50 people out of work.

Mr Archer said that if customers were owed money, the first point of contact should be their credit card company or buy now, pay later provider.

“These companies may have refund policies to provide protection for customers,” he said. “If customers are unsuccessful obtaining a refund this way, they should contact my office. We will record their interest in the liquidation and keep them updated of any progress.”

He said there had been significant interest from online retailers and competitors in purchasing the business, which had about 100,000 customers and annual sales of more than $6m.

Big Girls Don’t Cry (Anymore) founder Karen Mason.

“A purchaser of the business will need to understand the complexities of the e-commerce retail space,” said Mr Archer. “There is a great opportunity for the right owner.

“The business has operated for 28 years and so there’s real potential to continue building on this legacy by leveraging recent innovations.”

Founded by Karen Mason in 1992, the company offered virtual fittings and Big Girls TV, an online lingerie show for plus size and curvy women delivered via the internet. Shows included the live streaming of lingerie fashion parades and other informational segments.

But the company had faced some challenges in maintaining cashflow and profitability with stock supply delays from overseas due to COVID. Ms Mason’s husband, who helped run the business, died earlier this year.

QUT retail expert Dr Gary Mortimer said Big Girls Don’t Cry (Anymore) had operated a good business model and was a successful niche retailer. “It had strong brand equity built up over a number of years,” he said.

Dr Mortimer said the company ran into difficulties this year as it expanded, particularly as international supply chains were disrupted due to COVID-19.