Fashion Wire Daily December 22,2004 -
NEW YORK - As Christmas rolls around, retailers are still waiting for that most coveted gift — a sales boost. After a disappointing post-Thanksgiving season — retail giants Wal-Mart, Federated Department Stores and Gap all posted initial losses — retailers saw sales inch up .1% from October to November, according to data from the Commerce Department. Even so, overall sales growth for the season has still fallen short of expectations. The National Retail Federation expects sales for the holiday season to go up 4.5% this year, compared with 5.1% last year.
****
Bucking the department store slump, JCPenney posted a 12% gain in same-store sales in November, compared with Wall Street's estimates of an 11% gain. So why is Penney's avoiding the sluggish sales that have befallen so many retailers this season? Analysts say that Penney's has been able to make its season a bit blacker because of early-in-the-season discounts, such as $10-off coupons. Now other discount stores are trying to capitalize on that strategy — this past Saturday, Sears offered 10% off of most products in its store.
****
A number of celebrities have lent their famous monikers to fragrances this holiday season. First Donald Trump unveiled his Donald Trump: The Fragrance, thus proving the man's inexhaustible ability to self-promote. Advertisements for the scent, which is said to have a citrusy-odor, feature Trump embracing his luminous and far more attractive fianc?e — Melania Knauss. Now tennis star Maria Sharapova is getting into the act, partnering with Parlux Fragrances, which already makes fragrances for Paris Hilton and Guess. The scent should be out by the spring of 2006 and an anonymous source told the Associated Press that the deal is valued at $5 million.
****
ESPN and Footlocker.com are working to together to win the hearts, minds and feet of sports fans the world over. The sports network giant announced that it is working with Footlocker to start an online store called ESPN shop and catalog. The shop and catalog will feature ESPN brand athletic gear. This is the network's first venture into online retail, but no word yet on whether the site will get any high profile sports endorsements as of yet.
