NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) – Tiffany & Co sees big
potential in its watch business and plans to build it back up
once its feud with one-time partner Swatch Group SA is
settled, the U.S. jeweler said on Thursday.

The company only gets about 2 percent of sales from watches
now, but Chief Executive Officer Michael Kowalski said at a
conference that the percentage could be much more over time and
even return to the 9 percent level of two decades ago.

By Phil Wahba

(Reuters) – Luxury brands saw resilience at high-end department stores in the latest quarter, showing that wealthy shoppers are buying despite lingering concerns about the global economy.

Results issued on Tuesday by Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (KORS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Estee Lauder Cos Inc (EL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) were the latest signals of strength in high-end brands.

Aug 14 (Reuters) – Luxury brands saw resilience at high-end
U.S. department stores in the latest quarter, showing that
wealthy shoppers are buying despite lingering concerns about the
global economy.

Results issued on Tuesday by Michael Kors Holdings Ltd
and Estee Lauder Cos Inc were the latest signals
of strength in high-end brands.

New York (Reuters) – Samsonite International SA (1910.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) on Thursday bought high-end luggage brand Hartmann in a $35 million push to win a bigger share of the luxury travel goods market and build up U.S. sales.

In its second deal in as many months, Samsonite, the world’s largest luggage maker, acquired Hartmann from private equity firm Clarion Capital Partners for $35 million in cash and said the deal would start adding to its earnings per share in 2013.

Aug 1 (Reuters) – Avon Products Inc said
second-quarter profit plunged 70 percent as the world’s largest
direct-seller of cosmetics sold fewer items and continued to
lose sales representatives in key markets.

Avon shares were down 3.2 percent to $15 in premarket
trading Wednesday.

Avon is trying to stem falling sales, especially in key
markets like Russia and Brazil, under new chief executive Sheri
McCoy, who took the reins from long-time CEO Andrea Jung in
April. It also faces a U.S. government probe into whether it
broke anti-bribery laws overseas. It has spent $250 million
dollars on its own internal probe, which opened in 2008.

By Phil Wahba

(Reuters) – Avon Products Inc (AVP.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said second-quarter profit plunged 70 percent as the world’s largest direct-seller of cosmetics sold fewer items and continued to lose sales representatives in key markets.

Avon shares were down 3.2 percent to $15 in premarket trading Wednesday.

Avon is trying to stem falling sales, especially in key markets like Russia and Brazil, under new chief executive Sheri McCoy, who took the reins from long-time CEO Andrea Jung in April. It also faces a U.S. government probe into whether it broke anti-bribery laws overseas. It has spent $250 million dollars on its own internal probe, which opened in 2008.

July 31 (Reuters) – Upscale leather goods maker Coach Inc
(COH.N: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a marked slowdown in sales growth following a
poorly timed decision to eliminate coupons at its outlet stores
as the U.S. economy weakened and consumers pulled back.

The results drove Coach shares down more than 17 percent to
$50.04, their worst single-day performance since just after the
Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon.

By Phil Wahba

(Reuters) – Upscale leather goods maker Coach Inc (COH.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported another quarter of slowing growth in North America, its top market, hurt by the deals it offered to lure price-conscious shoppers back from competitors and into its outlet stores.

Sales at North American stores open at least a year rose 1.7 percent during the quarter ended June 30, well below what Wall Street was expecting and the pace of preceding quarters.

By Phil Wahba

(Reuters) – Upscale leather goods maker Coach Inc (COH.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported another quarter of slowing growth in North America, its top market, hurt by the deals it needed to offer price-conscious shoppers to get them into its outlet stores.

Sales at North American stores open at least a year rose 1.7 percent during the quarter that ended June 30, well below what Wall Street was expecting and the pace of preceding quarters.

July 30 (Reuters) – Supervalu Inc ousted its chief
executive on Monday as the grocery store chain tries to recover
from falling sales and earnings and considers whether to sell
the company.

Chairman Wayne Sales, 62, will replace Craig Herkert, a
former Wal-Mart Stores Inc executive brought in three
years ago to fix the No. 3 U.S. supermarket chain.