| Style Why 'It' Bags Are Out
Handbags have a longer shelf life and produce higher profit margins for their makers than apparel, which must be cleared from stores every few months. To offset sales declines of pricey handbags, some brands are moving further upmarket, launching ultra-luxury lines with extreme price tags to match. Others are developing limited-edition bags to reinforce their exclusivity. .
Macy's star looks unlucky
Shoppers can be particularly tough on an old-line department store company like Macy's, where the lowest prices usually depend on coupons, while discount clubs like Sam's or big-box discounters like Wal-Mart offer low prices and don't use coupons. The retailer, which operates 857 Bloomingdale's and Macy's stores nationwide, is going to have to sharpen its message to avoid a serious downturn, experts say. "The differences between strong and weak retailers will become more evident as the year progresses," said Karen Ghaffari, managing director of Fitch Ratings. "Competition will remain intense, especially in regions where the housing and jobs downturn is most severe." ShopperTrak of Chicago tracks in-store foot traffic from 45,000 retail monitors and projects that January has already gone chilly for department stores.
It's getting crowded on the sideline
Doc Rivers, the coach of the Boston Celtics, had no idea what Jack Nicholson was talking about. "Shark cartilage," Nicholson repeated as the Celtics prepared to huddle at the visitor's bench inside Staples Center and Rivers screamed himself hoarse. .
Gadgets Sony Aims for PS3 Profitability by Next Year
The PlayStation 3 is an expensive piece of hardware for both consumers and SCEI. The entry price of the PlayStation 3 fell significantly in 2007 – and while component costs also went down, Sony was still selling hardware at below cost. At the time of the PlayStation 3 launch in mid-November 2006, iSuppli estimated that Sony was losing $240 on each 60GB PS3 and $300 on each 20GB PS3 that it sold. Sony's gaming division chief Kazuo Hirai spoke at a news conference at CES revealing hopes of turning a profit in the next fiscal year. "We want to get to the positive side of the equation as quickly as possible," said Hirai in a Reuters report. "The next fiscal year starts in April and if we can try to achieve that in the next fiscal year that would be a great thing. We are going through the budgets right now.
Anger mounts over Brazil's deadliest air crash
All 186 passengers and crew aboard the Airbus 320 were believed to have died in Tuesday's crash at Sao Paulo's Cagonhas airport, along with a number of people on the ground. The Tam Airlines flight had careened off the slick runway upon landing in driving rain, skidded across a crowded avenue and slammed into a warehouse where it exploded in a fireball. It was 'a tragedy waiting to happen,' said Cezar Britto, president of The Order of Lawyers of Brazil, echoing opposition and national media criticism of precarious conditions at the airport. 'What exploded in Cagonhas was not just the TAM airbus and almost 200 victims but the credibility of the Brazilian aviation system,' Mr Britto said. Cagonhas is notorious for a runway some officials consider too short and which pilots say becomes slick when wet.
Personally Identifying Information (PIN)
If, at any time, you do not want us to share your information with third parties who wish to send you information about their products and services, you may opt-out of such messages by going to the "Manage an Account" page and simply unclicking an opt-in box or you may email us at privacycoordinator@medianewsgroup.com or write to us at: Privacy Coordinator, MediaNews Group, 1560 Broadway, Ste. 2100, Denver, CO 80202. If you choose to opt-out via email, please put "THIRD PARTY OPT-OUT" in the subject line, along with the name of the applicable site. MediaNews Opt-Out: If, at any time, you do not want to receive information about special offers and new products and features from MediaNews, you may opt-out of such messages by going to the "Manage an Account" page and simply unclicking an opt-in box or you may e-mail us at privacycoordinator@medianewsgroup.com or write to us at: Privacy Coordinator, MediaNews Group, 1560 Broadway, Ste.
|
