Industry News – June 1st, 2016

Curated fashion industry news links for Wednesday, June 1st, 2016…

AMERICAN APPAREL TIES EMPLOYEE SCHEDULING TO PERFORMANCE – RetailingToday
“American Apparel is providing store managers with new insight into traffic and conversion so they can better perform staffing. The specialty apparel chain is deploying StoreForce across all of its 202 stores in 19 countries. The solution allows managers to schedule store associates based on traffic patterns. It also delivers real-time performance metrics such as conversion rates. This allows managers to react to real-time opportunities to drive sales.”

DIOR RETURNS TO BLENHEIM PALACE FOR CRUISE SHOW – Yahoo!News
“Dior returned Tuesday to England’s Blenheim Palace to unveil its Cruise collection in glamorous surroundings that evoked the distinctive days of Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. The show brought a modern, sassier Dior back to the site of earlier triumphs in 1954 and 1958, when shows attended by Princess Margaret introduced austere, post-war Britain to the style and beauty of French fashion at its finest.”

IN RIO, LOUIS VUITTON STORE ROBBED DAYS AFTER LAVISH SHOW – TheNewYorkTimes
“According to a Brazilian spokesman for Louis Vuitton, thieves broke in at 2 a.m. and stole handbags worth around 500,000 reals, or about $140,000. The military police later secured the store, the spokesman said, as many local customers and tourists were lining up to buy items as a result of the show. “They came after the robbers,” the spokesman noted.”

MICHAEL KORS SALES RISE 11%, BUT INCREASED SPENDING SHOULD DENT BOTTOM LINE – Forbes
“Michael Kors saw a double-digit rise in sales during its latest quarter, which topped estimates, but warned that increased spending will chip away at its bottom line this year. Shares of the company, which have sunk 19% in the last three months, popped 6.6% to $45.55 in pre-market trading. During the fiscal fourth quarter, the retailer said total revenue jumped 10.9% to $1.16 billion, slightly ahead of analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. This was due in large part to purchases made online and at new stores; sales at existing stores edged up just 0.3% during the quarter.”

UNDER ARMOUR LOWERS OUTLOOK ON PRESSURES FROM SPORTS AUTHORITY BANKRUPTCY – FootwearNews
“When it initially filed for Chapter 11 protection back in March, Sports Authority said it planned to restructure and would close about 140 of its 460-plus stores. It later abandoned those plans and sought a buyer to save the ongoing business. Earlier this month, those plans were also deserted and the company is now shuttering completely. The effects of those developments are now trickling down to several of the company’s biggest vendors. Under Armour had originally planned to bring in $163 million in revenues from Sports Authority in 2016 and now says it will only recognize $43 million.”