Intimate business

What's so hard about selling bras and panties?

Turns out, Fort Myers-based Chico's FAS has lost about $100 million cumulatively at Soma Intimates since it launched the lingerie brand targeted at older women five years ago.

Although Soma has never made money, Chico's Chief Executive Officer David Dyer says it could become a brand with $1 billion in annual sales. Last year, the flagship Chico's brand posted sales of $1.1 billion from its 660 stores.