Penningtons
A Canadian women's apparel retailer focused on plus-size fashion.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Penningtons is a Canadian women's clothing retail banner specializing in plus-size apparel. Its assortment is designed for customers seeking fashion, fit, and everyday functionality across a broad range of clothing categories, including denim, lingerie, sportswear, activewear, sleepwear, seasonal clothing, footwear, and accessories. The brand serves customers throughout Canada and has historically operated stores in all ten provinces. The retailer is part of Reitmans Limited, a Montreal-based fashion company whose portfolio has also included banners such as Reitmans, RW&CO, Addition Elle, Thyme Maternity, and Hyba. Penningtons and Addition Elle have shared aspects of their corporate management and merchandising organization within the Reitmans group. The brand therefore operates not as an independent public company but as a specialized retail banner within a larger Canadian apparel organization. Penningtons' customer proposition is centered on plus-size women's clothing, with the cited product range extending from approximately size 14 through size 32, or X to 6X in some categories. Its assortment has included casual, business-casual, lounge, active, and occasion-oriented clothing. Tops have included T-shirts, tanks, sweaters, cardigans, pullovers, and seasonal necklines. Bottoms have included jeans, dress pants, shorts, skirts, skorts, capris, leggings, and other casual styles. Selected jeans and dress-pant lines have been offered in regular, petite, and tall lengths, reflecting a focus on fit variations within the plus-size market. Beyond apparel, the brand has carried bras and other lingerie, pajamas, slippers, shoes, socks, jewelry, belts, hosiery, eyewear, gloves, hats, scarves, and watches. Its footwear assortment has included sneakers, flats, sandals, boots, and booties, with wide and double-wide options identified in the reference material. The mix combines private-label and retail merchandise across practical wardrobe needs rather than concentrating on a single product category. Penningtons has also used customer loyalty and promotional mechanisms, including a points-based program in which purchases generate rewards for later use, together with birthday-related member offers. These features support a recurring-purchase model typical of apparel specialty retail. The broader Reitmans organization traces its origins to a Montreal business founded in 1926 by Herman and Sarah Reitman. Multiple generations of the Reitman family have been involved in the company, which later developed and managed several retail banners. Reference material identifies Jeremy Reitman and Stephen Reitman as senior leaders of Reitmans Limited, with Jeremy serving as chairman and Stephen as president in the described corporate structure. Specific founding information for the Penningtons banner itself is not established by the available material. The brand's current corporate and store status should be verified against Reitmans Limited's latest disclosures and Penningtons' current retail channels.
History
Penningtons is a Canadian specialty fashion retailer serving the plus-size women's apparel market. The available reference material does not establish a separate founding year for the Penningtons banner, but places it within the corporate history of Reitmans Limited. Reitmans was established in Montreal in 1926 by Herman and Sarah Reitman. Over subsequent generations, the Reitman family expanded the business and developed a group of apparel banners serving different customer segments and clothing needs. Within that portfolio, Penningtons became the group's dedicated plus-size women's retail banner. Its role has been complementary to other Reitmans concepts, including Addition Elle, which also served plus-size customers. Penningtons' assortment has covered everyday wardrobe categories rather than a single fashion niche. The range described in the reference material includes denim, tops, sweaters, dresses and other seasonal apparel, pants, activewear, sleepwear, lingerie, footwear, and accessories. The brand has also offered fit variations such as petite and tall lengths for selected bottoms. The banner's retail footprint has extended across Canada, with locations identified in all ten provinces and approximately 135 stores in the cited material. Because store counts and retail formats can change, that figure should be treated as historical unless confirmed by a current company source. Penningtons has operated as part of Reitmans Limited rather than as a separately listed enterprise. The group has historically managed Penningtons alongside other banners including Reitmans, RW&CO, Addition Elle, Thyme Maternity, and Hyba. Corporate material referenced in the article identifies Jeremy Reitman and Stephen Reitman as senior leaders of Reitmans Limited, with Jeremy described as chairman and chief executive officer and Stephen as president and chief operating officer. A broader executive team supported finance, merchandising, sourcing, marketing, distribution, human resources, technology, legal, store development, and real estate. Several executives were also associated with the management of Penningtons and Addition Elle, reflecting shared infrastructure within the parent company. Penningtons' product strategy has emphasized breadth and practical fit. The cited range extended from approximately size 14 to size 32 in relevant categories. Clothing included casual, business-casual, lounge, and seasonal styles. The retailer's activewear selection included yoga pants, leggings, tops, sweaters, and outerwear. Its lingerie assortment included bras in a broad range of band and cup sizes, while its footwear offering included wide-width options. Accessories and sleepwear expanded the brand's role from a clothing store into a more complete wardrobe destination. The brand has also supported repeat purchasing through a loyalty program that awards points based on customer spending and provides savings on future purchases, with birthday promotions for members. No verified material was provided concerning major acquisitions, scandals, lawsuits, campaigns, product recalls, financial results, or a distinct Penningtons leadership transition. The brand's current ownership, store network, e-commerce activity, and operating status should be checked against the latest Reitmans Limited information.
- 1926
Reitmans is founded in Montreal
[1]Herman and Sarah Reitman establish the Montreal apparel business that later becomes the parent organization of Penningtons and other Canadian retail banners.
Products and positioning
Canadian specialty apparel retail for plus-size women, emphasizing accessible fashion, wardrobe breadth, and fit options.
Women's clothing
Plus-size apparel
Penningtons' core range consists of women's clothing for plus-size customers, including casual, business-casual, lounge, and seasonal styles. The cited assortment covers sizes approximately 14 through 32 in relevant categories and includes tops, sweaters, dresses, and outer layers.
Women's bottoms
Denim and bottoms
The retailer has offered jeans, dress pants, shorts, skirts, skorts, capris, leggings, and related bottoms. Selected jeans and dress-pant styles have been available in regular, petite, and tall lengths to address different customer height and fit requirements.
Sportswear
Activewear
Penningtons' activewear assortment includes yoga pants, leggings, relaxed-fit pants, tops, sweaters, and outerwear. The range is positioned for exercise, casual use, and comfort-oriented everyday dressing.
Intimate apparel
Lingerie
The lingerie assortment includes bras and related intimate apparel in a broad plus-size range. The reference material identifies bra sizing from approximately 38B to 52H, although current availability should be verified.
Sleepwear
Sleepwear
Sleep and at-home products have included pajamas, nightgowns, sleep tops, sleep pants, shorts, housecoats, and slippers, extending the brand's assortment beyond daytime apparel.
Accessories
Footwear and accessories
The brand has carried sneakers, flats, sandals, boots, booties, socks, jewelry, belts, tights, stockings, sunglasses, blue-light glasses, gloves, hats, scarves, watches, and other accessories. Footwear has included wide and double-wide options in the cited material.
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