Analyst Filandro says the market for women's plus-size designer apparel is booming. The dominant players include Avenue, based in Troy, Ohio, and Charming Shoppes of Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Charming Shoppes, which owns the Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Catherines Plus Sizes chains, is the biggest specialty outlet in the market. It has some 2,246 stores across the country and generates $2.3 billion a year in revenue. Avenue is a distant second, generating $400 million in annual revenue.