December 1,  2002                                 Issue #86




         Mcpete -Sez, 
     The Lingerie Newsletter 
                & 
       Women's Wear Journal
         
                 
Sleepwear-Daywear-Foundations-Loungewear-Hosiery-
       Swimwear-Dancewear-Clubwear-Funwear 
                              Ready to-wear.

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Happy Hanukkah!
                                   &
                         Happy   
   Thanksgiving

VF to buy Calvin Klein??
Speculation on Calvin Klein's future is soaring this week, following the Wall Street Journal's report Thursday that the American fashion house could be in the market for a buyer once again. 
Three years ago Klein and his partner, Barry Schwartz, put the company on the block, but after a year of searching for potential buyers, took the business off the market in June 2000. Then, luxury names like LVMH and Gucci were bandied about as potential suitors; this time around, it's mid-price apparel firms that have come knocking.
VF Corporation, the country's largest apparel maker with brands like Lee and Wrangler Jeans, North Face and Lily of France lingerie, and Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, whose licenses include DKNY and Kenneth Cole, are rumored to be the primary wooers. In August, PVH also added Calvin Klein to its license list when it inked a deal to produce cK Calvin Klein dress shirts

 
Models Heidi Klum (L) of Germany, Adriana Lima (2nd L) of Brazil, and Tyra Banks of the United States pose with Santa Claus at the opening ceremony of a new Victoria's Secret lingerie store in New York on November 19, 2002. The new store on 34th Street in mid-town Manhattan is the biggest Victoria's Secret in the world at over 25,000 square feet.

Online Retail Sales Rose in Third Quarter 
Sales at U.S. online retailers rose in the third quarter of 2002 and posted their best year-over-year performance since the first quarter of 2001, the government said on Friday.
In its quarterly report on e-commerce trends, the Commerce Department said online sales increased by 7.8 percent to $11.06 billion from the previous quarter. Compared with the third quarter of 2001, sales jumped a hefty 34.3 percent, their largest year-over-year gain since the first three months of 2001, when sales rose 42.0 percent.
Unlike most economic indicators released by Commerce, the data are not adjusted for seasonal or holiday-related variations, a problem that limits its usefulness. Commerce has only been separately tracking e-commerce sales since late 1999.

Retailers reiterate sales forecasts 
Wal-Mart, Federated leave November forecasts unchanged, cite cloudy Thanksgiving outlook.
NEW YORK - Uncertain about the strength of Friday's official holiday shopping season kickoff, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Federated Department Stores Monday reiterated expectations for sluggish November sales. 


46/48
 
        
SEATTLE, Nov. 15 - Nordstrom said today that it had beaten its severely reduced earnings expectations for the third quarter despite a weak retail environment.  Still, Nordstrom reported a slight decline in sales compared with the period last year.

                         
                          6/6
     Goodfellowship Corset Awards
The Goodfellowship Corset Club awarded the life membership award to both Marty Birnbaum of Westchester Lace & Walter Costello of Macra Lace for community service as well as for their contributions to the Intimate Apparel Industry.
   
               U.K. Retail sales surge, 
      confounding market expectations 
LONDON - British consumers remain bullish despite predictions of a slowdown in spending, according to government figures released Thursday.  The Office for National Statistics said retail sales were 0.8 percent higher in October than the previous month and 6 percent higher than the same month in 2001. 
Economists, concerned that the current economic gloom might cause consumers to tighten their belts, had predicted an increase of 0.3 percent in October.  They said the new figures signal a return to the boom seen by retailers earlier this year. Year-on-year sales growth was running at 6.9 percent in April, before dismal summer weather knocked consumer confidence. 
The Office for National Statistics said much of the growth during October was driven by the performance of department stores and other non-food outlets.


22/24

                              Felina's new digs
Felina Lingerie has purchased the 4th floor at 12 west 32nd street for its new offices & showrooms for next August.
Felina says that it needs this new space due to its recent acquisition of the Jezebel foundations brand this year.



          Canada Retail Sales Dip
OTTAWA - Sagging September retail sales capped a week of reports that suggest Canada's healthy economic growth is beginning to pale, easing pressure on the Bank of Canada to raise interest rates again, analysts said on Friday. 
Statistics Canada said the unexpected 0.5 percent slip in retail sales was likely due to delayed buying of winter clothes because of a warmer than usual September but RBC Financial Group's Derek Holt said the report was "discouraging" as weaker consumer spending was widespread.


1/24
      October Retail in U.S. Up Up Up..
Sales at apparel stores surged 4% from September and department stores rose 1.5% after both had fallen the prior three months.  Sales at the nation's retailers were flat in October. Consumers cut back spending on new cars and ate out less, but they splurged on clothes.
          

 A new US study aims to help the clothing industry wise-up
 to the body size and shape of today's American consumers.
 Following the example of similar UK research,
 Textile/Clothing Technology Corporation is using 3D body
 measurement technology to scan 12,000 men and women across
 the nation over a period of nearly a year. Sponsors for
 the SizeUSA project include Sara Lee, Lands' End, Levi
 Strauss, JC Penney, Liz Claiborne, Milliken and Dillards,
 who will have first access to the information when the
 study is completed in summer 2003.

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