Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine February Issue 2019 | Page 73

WORLD WRAP
by 10.2 per cent. This data shows that
even though department stores are
still a major destination for shoppers
throughout the peak shopping
season, the current retail scenario
demands each brand to create an
environment that draws the consumer
in. Moreover, every channel has to
be utilised to convert that consumer,
be it online sales or buy online/pick
up in-store options.
Amongst online retail giants, Amazon
claimed to have a ‘record-breaking’
holiday season, with a billion items
shipped for free through Prime in the
US alone. The company shares spiked
by 9.5 per cent to US $ 1,470.90, with
Amazon Prime being the key driver
as a billion items were shipped for
free. In terms of fashion, Amazon said,
that among its most popular fashion
brands this year was 120-year-old
Carhartt, which specialises in work
jeans and apparel, selling more than
1 million Carhartt items this season.
Amazon also reported that more
than 50 per cent of items sold in the
company’s stores this Christmas
season came from small and medium-
sized businesses.
Other fashion retailers who saw a
jump in share prices were Kohl’s Corp
which rose by 4.2 per cent, Macy’s Inc.
which gained 3.6 per cent, Nordstrom
Inc. which rose by 3 per cent and
Target Corp and Walmart Inc. which
saw a rise of over 1 per cent. Shares of
American Eagle Outfitters, especially
for its jeans business, rose 10.7
per cent to US $ 19.37, while shares
of Urban Outfitters, the owner of
Free People, Anthropologie and its
namesake, were up by 7.3 per cent to
US $ 34.06.
According to a survey, demand was
especially strong for winter apparels
in the fashion category and for home
Demand was especially
strong for winter apparel
in the fashion category –
outerwear, boots and all
things related to denim
contributed to a 7.9 per cent
increase in apparel sales, the
highest spike since 2010.
goods in stores like Home Depot.
Demand for outerwear, boots and
everything related to denim contributed
to a 7.9 per cent increase in apparel
sales, the highest spike since 2010,
according to Mastercard. “Shoppers
have been bulking up their wardrobes
since September, when apparel sales
rose by as much as 9 per cent versus
zero growth last year”, said Sadove.
Although one fashion retailer
experienced a setback in holiday
sales, that is US department
store JCPenney which witnessed
comparable sales drop by 5.4 per cent
over the December holiday period, and
confirmed the closure of three stores
over the ‘next few months’ as part
of an ongoing evaluation of its store
portfolio.
According to GlobalData Retail
Managing Director Neil Saunders, the
reasons for JCPenney to go into such
a downward spiral were factors such
as not being able to capitalise on the
favourable trends as other retailers
potentially were able to do.
“Stores, for example, were densely
packed full of merchandise and
provided consumers with a less than
inspiring shopping experience. The
same is true online where a vast array
of products with few standout items
reduced conversion rates. Extensive
discounting did little to remedy these
weaknesses or stimulate revenue
growth,” Saunders said.
Kevin Carrigan
exits Ralph Lauren,
speculated to
assume former role
at CK after Simons
K
evin Carrigan has exited his position of Senior
Vice President, Creative Director of the
women’s Lauren and Chaps brands from the Ralph
Lauren Corporation.
Previously, Carrigan has had a powerful
experience in the fashion retail industry as he was
the Global Creative Director of Calvin Klein Inc. for
18 years for the brands Calvin Klein Jeans, Calvin
Klein White Label and CK Calvin that together
constituted a lion’s share of the brand’s US $ 8
billion business.
He had resigned from that role in August 2016, two
days prior to Raf Simons’ appointment as Chief
Creative Officer for CK.
What’s gaining the interest of the fashion industry
stakeholders is the sequence of Carrigan’s
and Simons’ exit from their respective brands.
The speculation states that Carrigan could be
appointed to fill the vacancy at CK following
Simons and his creative team’s exit.
“Working at Ralph Lauren has been an exceptional
experience. I am grateful to have worked with an
incredibly talented team including Ralph himself,
who is a gentleman and a genius,” said Carrigan.
He declined to say what follows next for him.
Carrigan held the position at Lauren for two years
and reported directly to the Founding Director
of the brand along with the President of global
brands, Valérie Hermann.
The position will now be filled by Ralph Lauren’s
former Senior Director Toby Weaver, who will take
the expanded role of Vice President of design for
Lauren, reporting to Lauren Slusser, Global Brand
President of Lauren.
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