July 15,  2003                                  Issue #101


15/25

                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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 The campaign to halt surging Chinese textile and clothing
imports into the US was stepped up this week when 14 trade
groups brought their concerns to the attention of President
George Bush.
In a letter on Monday, the clothing leaders warned of the
threats they believe China poses to the industry -
including the possible disappearance of hundreds of
thousands of domestic jobs - and demanded barriers to its
soft goods imports.
The letter comes in the wake of a gloomy survey released by
the ATMI last week, which warned if action was not taken up
to 1,300 mills would close and 630,000 people would lose
their jobs in the next few years.
As if this wasn't enough, the group also wants assurances
Chinese textile manufacturers do not benefit from the
Central American Free Trade Agreement the US is trying to
negotiate.

10/25


Italian Lingerie Firm CSP Swings To Q1 Loss, Sales Down 
Lingerie and stockings producer CSP International on Monday revealed it swung to a first quarter consolidated net loss of 1.5 million euros versus a year-ago profit of 4.1 million euros.
The company, which makes around 100 million pairs of tights and stockings a year, said revenue for the quarter fell 11.5 per cent year-on-year to 40.8 million euros.
It added lingerie revenues jumped 35 per cent in the period but hosiery sales plunged 20 per cent from early 2002.

               
A Turkish model presents lingerie during the Fashion Fair, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 25, 2003.



4/7

Debs Shops Suffers June Sales Slide 
Fashion retailer Deb Shops Inc on Thursday posted a 11.7 per cent slide in June same-store sales.
The Philadelphia-based operator of 330 stores said total sales for the month ended June 30 fell 7.8 per cent to $24.1 million from $26.2m in the year-ago period.

          


15/25  
New Lingerie Line Launched By French-Indian JV 
A new line of lingerie designed and produced by a joint venture between a French company and an Indian intimate apparel firm hit the shelves in India on Thursday.
The joint venture, called Gokaldas Intimatewear Ltd, hopes to cash in on the $350 million Indian lingerie market through its new Enamor line of cotton bras and panties.
The company said its target customers are middle-class women aged 18-40 who can afford to fork out up to $6 on a bra.
More on this story on page 4


5/13
 
Spray-On Stockings Fly Off The Shelves 
A Japanese inventor has come up with the answer to every woman's prayers - a stocking which is impossible to snag. 
The silk hosiery, called the Air-Stocking, comes in a can and is simply sprayed onto the leg as a fine quick-dry aerosol mist. 
Available in terracotta, natural or bronze colours, they cost about $12, and each can contains about 20 pairs of stockings. Although the Air-Stocking is waterproof, it can be washed off in the shower with a lot of soap, and a bit of scrubbing. 
Japanese stores are struggling to keep up with demand. 
Hanae Seki, the cosmetics manager at the Sony Plaza store in Tokyo's Ginza district, says the stockings are “perfect for Japan's summer season, when traditional stockings are too hot. We're selling several hundred bottles a month - people are coming from all over Japan to buy them."



Specialty retailer of large-size women's fashions and footwear, United Retail Group Inc reported a 12 per cent plunge in June same-store sales and added total sales at its 545 stores fell to $40.6m from $46.2m in the year-ago period.

Massachusetts-based fashion chain The Talbots Inc said its same-store sales slipped 0.9 per cent last month with total sales at its 920 branches climbing seven per cent to $173.2m from $161.8m in the year-ago period.

Wal-Mart's June Sales Jump 11% To $24.6bn 
Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Thursday posted a 2.7 per cent rise in June same-store sales and added total sales for last month jumped 11.1 per cent to $24.6 billion from $22.1bn in the year-ago period.
The Arkansas-based operator of more than 4,500 stores said its Wal-Mart division enjoyed a 2.4 per cent rise in comparable sales with total sales at the unit in the five weeks to July 4 up 9.5 per cent year-on-year to $15.2bn.

Lingerie chain Victoria's Secret posted same-store sales growth of 7 percent, exceeding expectations due to a semi-annual clearance sale that consistently packs the stores with bargain hunters. But margins declined from a year earlier.

Cool temps and soggy streets couldn't stop Gap from continuing its climb in June. The San Francisco-based retailer posted a 10 percent increase in same-store sales, compared to last year's six percent decrease. This marks Gap's ninth month running of same-store sales growth, following a bleak 29-month slide.
Gap's U.S. division saw an eight percent same-store sales increase, while Gap International's numbers were up 14 percent. Banana Republic posted a seven percent jump, and the lower-priced Old Navy chain saw same-store sales up 11 percent.
Other results:
Target Corp. 
Same-store sales were up 0.8 percent Five weeks ended July 5
J.C. Penney Co. Inc. 
Same-store sales rose 0.1 percent at J.C. Penney stores only 
Five weeks ended July 5:
Sears, Roebuck and Co. 
Five weeks ended July 5: Same-store sales fell 1.8 percent (domestic stores only) 
Federated Department Stores Inc. 
Five weeks ended July 5: 
Same-store sales fell 2 percent 
May Department Stores Co. 
Five weeks ended July 5: Same-store sales slipped 5.9 percent 
TJX Cos. 
Five weeks ended July 5: Same-store sales rose 2 percent 
Limited Brands Inc. 
Five weeks ended July 5: Same-store sales rose 5 percent 
Dillard's Inc. 
Five weeks ended July 5: Same-store sales fell 6 percent 
Saks Inc. 
Five weeks ended July 5:  Same-store sales fell 1.8 percent 
         


       

                


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