TJX POSTS 42.1% JUMP IN Q4
The TJX Cos. Inc. posted a 42.1 percent jump in fourth-quarter profits this morning, as consumers continued to seek out value-priced merchandise during holiday.
For the quarter ended Jan. 28, net income totaled $475.3 million, or 62 cents a diluted share, which met analysts’ estimates. This compared with year-ago income of $334.4 million, or 42 cents.
Fourth-quarter sales increased 6 percent to $6.71 billion from sales of $6.33 billion, a year earlier.
Diet Coke has racked up another fashionable friend!
Following its
super-chic Karl Lagerfeld collaboration, the beverage brand is teaming up with Diane von Furstenberg for a limited-edition collection of aluminum bottles splashed with her signature prints in red and black.
Available at select Diane von Furstenberg
boutiques throughout February ($30 for a set of four), the eye-catching range will see 100 percent of proceeds go to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) in support of The Heart Truth program for women’s heart health research.
PEPSICO LOSES DIGITAL GURU TO KRAFT
Bonin Bough, PepsiCo ‘s digital and social-media guru, is departing for Kraft Foods.
According to executives familiar with the matter, Mr. Bough will take on a senior role managing consumer engagement at the food giant. With Kraft in the midst of splitting the company in two, it’s not clear which company Mr. Bough will be working for.
Mr. Bough, PepsiCo ‘s senior global director-digital and social media, joined the company in 2008 and has been at the center of its efforts to beef up its presence at events such as South by Southwest and BlogHer, as well as on platforms such as Fousquare and Twitter. Most recently, he spearheaded PepsiCo ‘s efforts to become a more digitally fit organization. He oversaw the creation of a “digital fitness” boot camp, educating executives and getting their hands on the latest and greatest technology, from 3-D phones to Apple TV.
HERBAL ESSENCES ANNOUNCES NEW GLOBAL BRAND AMBASSADOR
Nicole Scherzinger is a triply-talented performer who fans all over the world know and love: from her chart-topping hit songs to her moves on the dance floor that catapulted her to become ABC’s Dancing With The Stars’ tenth season winner. This summer, Scherzinger will reach another career milestone with the release of her debut solo album, Killer Love.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Nicole to our Herbal Essences family,” said Kevin Crociata, Marketing Director, Herbal Essences. “Nicole is such a beautiful, talented woman who lives every aspect of her life to the fullest. Her sense of self and her zest for life is a terrific fit with the spirit of the Herbal Essences brand.”
EMANUELE DELLA VALLE LAUNCHES LIFESTYLE MIRROR
LifestyleMirror is a shoppable, digital magazine with premium editorial content spanning fashion, beauty, travel, men’s wear and lifestyle interests (even shoppable horoscopes) that’s billed as a “new way to discover and instantly shop for style online.”
Della Valle stresses that it’s not an e-commerce site — although “it’s e-commerce heavy” and all product featured on the site has a direct link to a point of purchase, from a coat sold on Mr Porter to the balloons from 1-800-Balloons that Daphne Guinness was photographed alongside in the site’s first weekly feature. Guinness (and her Manhattan apartment) was selected as the subject for the first anchor story, a component to the online portal that will change weekly — as opposed to the rest of the site’s content, which will be updated several times a day, according to Della Valle.
The site will launch February 13.
Diane von Furstenberg often says, “Be the woman that you want to be,” and so it made sense that the model featured in her new campaign is wearing a mirrored mask over her face, reflecting not only the California sky but also the woman the observer wants to be. “I like the idea of being focused on the product but in an airy way,” said von Furstenberg. “I like that you can see yourself in these images. This time for me is all about new beginnings.”
TSG BUYS STAKE IN ALEXIS BITTAR
San Francisco-based TSG Consumer Partners and Alexis Bittar finalized a 50/50 partnership in the Alexis Bittar brand last Friday. Bittar will remain CEO and Creative Director.
Past TSG investments include Smashbox, Dr. Perricone, and Pureology. Alexis Bittar is their first foray into accessories.
Second-quarter profits in The Procter & Gamble Corp.’s beauty division fell 8 percent to $802 million as higher commodity costs outweighed sales increases. The business’ growth also tilted toward developing regions and products in the premium area became a smaller part of the mix. Sales for the three months ended Dec. 31 rose 1 percent to $5.4 billion and unit volume also grew 1 percent. Hair care volume increased by mid single digits while skin care, personal care and cosmetics volume decreased in the low-single digits.
January 25, JC Penney revealed a new logo, new image, and an entirely new pricing strategy, effective February 1.
Three clear pricing levels will trim JC Penney’s promotions to 12 a year from 590—an yearly promotional spend from nearly $1.2 billion to $960 million. This is a response to findings that only one in 500 JC Penney items sold at full price, while 72% of revenue was derived from selling products at 50% off or more. Now, a T-shirt that had retailed for $14 but typically sold at $6 will be priced at $7. As a monthlong value, it will cost $6. At “best price,” or clearance, it will cost $4. The retailer is also adopting flat prices.
A corresponding creative overhaul revealed new ads meant to feel like the Saturday Evening Post: fresh, warm, whimsical and American. A pre-launch campaign by Mother debuted yesterday.
FUJIFILM EXPANDS INTO SKINCARE
Japanese photography firm Fujifilm is moving into the beauty market by launching its own range of anti-ageing creams. The company has harnessed its expertise with collagen and antioxidants - used to fix emulsion to film and prevent the image fading - to produce a compound that protects the skin from harmful ultra-violet sun rays. According to Fujifilm, its Astalift products help to boost skin tone and contains an antioxidant called astaxanthin - a pink pigment found in shellfish and salmon.
P&G’s Sebastian Professional hair brand has partnered with social media company StyleCaster on an interactive campaign that will showcase six online readers in a high-fashion photo shoot for Nylon magazine. Six winners were chosen and subsequently paired with six fashion and beauty “visionaries,” including photographer Bon Duke, DJ Harley Viera Newton and sportswear designer Chrissie Miller. Next came a makeover by the Sebastian design team and photo shoot with photographer Nicholas Routzen, which will be featured in Nylon’s February issue and on StyleCaster.com.
CASTANEA PARNERS, JANET GURWITCH, AND PAUL PRESSLER INK DEAL
Drybar could soon be blowing into a city near you: The blow-dry-only salon chain has inked a $16 million deal with Castanea Partners, which gives the Boston-based private-equity firm a minority stake in the company. Janet Gurwitch and Paul Pressler, former president and ceo of Gap Inc. and president of Disneyland and Disney Stores, will join Drybar’s board of directors. In addition to the Castanea investment, both Gurwitch and Pressler personally invested in Drybar. The company plans to use proceeds from the investment to continue their rapid national expansion efforts and further invest in talent and infrastructure, noted Landau, adding that Karen Kelley, former senior executive at Pinkberry and Jamba Juice, recently joined the company as president and chief operating officer. As well, the company is in the process of creating its own product line.
DAPHNE GUINNESS TO PLAY MANNEQUIN FOR PRINTEMPS
Following her performance in the windows of Barneys New York last May, Daphne Guinness is getting ready to play mannequin for Paris department store Printemps — only this time, she won’t actually be there. Photographer Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio has joined forces with the artist and socialite to create window displays that will feature virtual statues of Guinness created from a photographic image, using cutting-edge three-dimensional scanning technology. Alongside the virtual statue, each window will feature a fashion film of the outfit shot by Knight and an interactive display by multimedia artistDanny Brown, using images submitted by the public and direct input from passersby.
Burberry reported a 22% rise in third quarter revenues to 574 million pounds, or $901.2 million, in the three months ending December 31st. Strong sales of core outerwear and large leather goods helped drive retail sales.
A multiplatform lifestyle brand, The Moms will partner with Mom-entum, a women’s focused marketing channel within Big Fuel, a social media agency, and Getting Gorgeous to host the first annual “Strut: The Fashionable Mom Show,” as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Real moms will model each runway look. The multimedia event will feature a digital live-stream, a live Twitter feed and real-time blogging. The show is expected to provide moms with fashion ideas that demonstrate how to transform an outfit from hanging out with the kids to a meeting to a night on the town.
