October 1, 2003                                      Issue #106


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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Bra Firm Top Form Enjoys FY Profit Lift 
The world's largest producer of bras, Top Form International Ltd, on Wednesday revealed it almost doubled its full year net profit for the 12 months ended June 30.
But the company said it sees only single-digit profit and sales growth this fiscal year due to a weak first quarter when consumer confidence was dented by the war in Iraq.



16/25
                
RFID Tag System Package Aimed At Apparel Stores 
Toshiba Tec Corp and Leading Information Technology Inc have jointly developed a commodity management system for stores employing wireless radio frequency-identification (RFID) tags. 
The system of wireless tags enables batch reading and remote reading, and therefore streamlines inventory control of commodities drastically from conventional systems employing bar codes. 
Toshiba Tec plans to start sales in November 2003 of this system to stores, particularly boutiques with apparel and shoes. The trial package will cost 750,000 yen ($6500) for a set of 100 pieces of wireless tags, reading/writing devices, a small antenna to communicate with wireless tags, and an application for reading tags. 

       VF Intimates In Maternity Wear Deal 
                  With Leading Lady 
VF Intimates, a division of VF Corp, on Tuesday revealed it has entered into a US license agreement with manufacturer Leading Lady Corp to produce a complete collection of Vanity Fair maternity and nursing products. 
The new Vanity Fair range will debut at November Market in New York and will include nursing, sleep, leisure, softcup, seamless molded softcup bras, a lace underwire bra with matching lace boy short and sports bra, a nursing tank and matching boy short, as well as maternity thongs and bikinis. 

3/6
Expert Analysis Lingerie 2002
Key Note estimates the total UK retail sales of women's hosiery, corsetry and lingerie to be $3 bn in 2001. This represents a 6.9% rise since 2000. The market is made up of the hosiery, corsetry and lingerie sectors. Retail sales for hosiery and lingerie stood at $1,075 million and $952 million respectively, in 2001. Brassieres alone account for 33.4% of the market, with retail sales of $1015 million in 2001. Don't miss this brand new report with forecasts to 2006. Find out more here.


  See us at the Intl Lingerie show in Las Vegas Oct 13-15
20/25  
      Wal-Mart Sees Sept Same-Store Sales Up 5% 
The world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, on Monday said its September same-store sales are tracking at the top end of its three to five per cent view despite Hurricane Isabel affecting 100 stores.
The Arkansas-based company said its strongest categories over the past seven days included girl's apparel and added 15 stores were still closed on Saturday due to power outages.

                          
 A model wears a 'sueded leopard halter corset lace-up maillot' at the Rosa Cha Spring 2004 fashion show Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003 in New York.


  See us at the Intl Lingerie show in Las Vegas Oct 13-15
10/13  
                         
     The Bon-Ton Wins Elder-Beerman Battle 
                    With $93m Bid 
Department store group The Bon-Ton Stores Inc on Tuesday won the race for regional department store chain Elder-Beerman Stores Corp with an $8 a share offer which values the company at $92.8 million.
Ohio-based Elder-Beerman is the nation's ninth largest independent department store chain with outlets in its home state as well as West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Iowa.
Its acceptance of The Bon-Ton's offer follows a bidding war with management-led buyout group Wright Holdings Inc which had offered $7.80, or $90.5m, on Monday only to see its offer quickly trumped.
Chairman and CEO of The Bon-Ton, Tim Grumbacher, said in a statement he was delighted with the deal which would see Elder-Beerman become a subsidiary of his firm.


  See us at the Intl Lingerie show in Las Vegas Oct 13-15
2/12    
      
CANADA: Retail Sales Edge Up 0.8% In July From June 
Canadian retail sales edged up 0.8 per cent month-on-month in July to C$26.57 billion, official data revealed Monday.
Figures from Statistics Canada showed that total was 3.8 per cent higher than the same month of last year.
                                                                        
       
   
  4/12      Click on our ad above to visit us

    Fashionable Lingerie Makers In Short Supply 
                              in Russia
Latest trade statistics from Moscow suggest that the Russian market has untapped potential as an export destination for western European lingerie manufacturers. 
Despite having 90 million consumers, there are virtually no manufacturers yet servicing local demand. Garment industry figures list under a dozen such producers with the capacity to satisfy less than one per cent of estimated demand. 
Lingerie and foundation garments with fashion appeal have in the past been supplied primarily by factories in the former Eastern bloc nations, but even at full stretch they have only been able to fulfil between two and three per cent of demand. 
Obviously the way is open for EU producers offering young fashion ranges to follow the lead of more up-market manufacturers who have opened up a Russian market. To date, the French and the Germans have been most successful in these endeavours. 
They will, however, have to move fast for Chinese and Korean manufacturers are already eyeing the opportunities available in Russia. 


2/5

Bob Mackie Designs Plus Size Styles For Catherines 
Designer Bob Mackie, who rose to fame dressing such celebrities as Cher and Carol Burnett, has now put his name to a collection specifically tailored for plus-size women’s wear retailer Catherines. 
"I love to make women look glamorous and sexy," says Mackie. "Every woman - regardless of size - deserves to feel like a million bucks. You don't have to be a star to look like one! And that's the feel of this plus size collection." 
Available in over 450 stores nationwide, the autumn 2003 collection includes jackets, skirts, pants, and blouses in a wide variety of colors in sizes 16-38. 
           

Chinese entertainers perform during an underwear show at a shopping 
mall in Shenyang, the capital of China's northeastern province of Liaoning, September 14, 2003. Gone are the days when shopping for underwear was considered an embarrassing chore for Chinese women. Now, with bras and underpants in all cuts and colors displayed in shop windows, buying lingerie is considered fashionable in China.


2/4 

31,000 Clothing Jobs Wiped Out In 2003 in Mexico
Illegal imports and competition from China in the US market are said to be responsible for the loss of around 10,000 Mexican clothing jobs in the last month. 
According to the president of the National Clothing Industry Chamber (CNIV), Salomón Presburger, this brings the total jobs lost so far this year in the Mexican grment industry to 31,000. 
The sale of illegal merchandise in Mexico accounts for about 60 per cent of the apparel market, according to the Economy Ministry, and means Mexican textile makers supply less to Mexican clothing manufacturers. 
A recent report from investment bank UBS said that Mexico is losing its total share of exports to the world market because of high labour and operating costs compared with competitors. 
China's entry to the World Trade Organisation in December 2001 means that Mexico's textile sector is facing tougher competition in the US market, as well as at home.
  A guy walks into a bar and orders a beer. 
"Listen," he says to the bartender, "If I show you the most amazing thing you've ever seen, is my beer on the house?"
"We'll see," says the bartender. 
So the guy pulls out a hamster and a tiny piano out of a bag, puts them on the bar, and the hamster begins to play. 
"Impressive," says the bartender, "but I'll need to see more." 
"Hold on," says the man. He then pulls out a bullfrog, and it sings "Old Man River." 
A patron jumps up from his table and shouts "Thats's Absolutely incredible! I'll give you $100 right now for the frog." 
"Sold," says the guy. The patron takes the bullfrog and leaves. 
"It's none of my business," says the bartender, "but you just gave away a fortune." 
"Not really," says the guy, "The hamster is also a ventriloquist."


    

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