L.A. RETAIL HIT BY TERROR WARNING/2 WWWDomen’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’FRIDAY Daily Newspaper • April 30, 2004 • $2.00 Mugler’s newest hero, page 7. WWDFRIDAY Mugler’s newest hero, page 7. Beauty Wishing OnNEW YORK — Fora its latest Star women’s scent, Tommy Hilfiger has turned on the star power, teaming up with Beyoncé Knowles. The fragrance, called True Star, is due out in September and could do $50 million at retail. For more, see page 6. The Cost of Luxury: PPR’s Final Gucci Bill To Approach $9 Billion By Miles Socha and Amanda Kaiser PARIS — Gucci Group’s days as a public company are near an end — at a cost to Pinault-Printemps-Redoute of close to $9 billion. De Sole on His Final Gucci Day. Page 4 At the conclusion Thursday of its monthlong tender offer, PPR owned 99.23 percent of Gucci’s shares, setting the stage for the expected delisting of the Italian luxury conglomerate. Gucci is now See PPR, Page5 PHOTO BY GEORGE CHINSEE; STYLED BY BRYN KENNY GEORGE CHINSEE; STYLED BY PHOTO BY 2 WWD, FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2004 WWDFRIDAY Te rror Alert Chills L.A. Malls Beauty By Rose Apodaca Jones or two. “We’ll see,’’ he said. people each month and last year BEAUTY and Marcy Medina “What’s gone is gone.” generated $248.4 billion in sales True Star, Tommy Hilfiger Toiletries’ new fragrance, will maximize involvement of Enclosed malls, even with the through 735.7 million square feet. pop star Beyoncé Knowles in its estimated $15 million U.S. marketing campaign. LOS ANGELES — Some fearful emergence of outside shopping As security was tightened at 6 shoppers in the biggest U.S. re- promenades in recent years, re- the Westside Pavilion and the two Thierry Mugler, who is launching a men’s scent called BMen, has created tail market stayed away from main at the center of Los other major malls closest to the 7 imaginary comic book characters to populate his fragrance universe. stores Thursday because of a Angeles County’s $75 billion- Federal Building, Santa Monica Despite showing signs of progress in its efforts to pare its massive debt, threat of a potential terrorist at- plus in annual retail sales, as Place and the Westfield Shop- Revlon Inc. remained in the red for the first quarter. tack at an unspecified shopping well as the area’s culture — pingtown Century City, the fear 9 mall in the vicinity of the Fed- mythic and real. The malls have and uncertainty was reflected eral Building on the city’s west been parodied and celebrated in during lunchtime in the 14- GENERAL side here. songs such as “Valley Girl” and restaurant food court at Westside Domenico De Sole, the former chairman and ceo of Gucci, talks about the “It’s killing us,” said Gene the 1991 movie “Scenes from a Pavilion, where many workers Thompson, senior vice presi- Mall,” in which Woody Allen and said business was as much as 40 4 legacy he and Tom Ford have left behind, and his next moves. dent of security for Macerich Bette Midler bickered their way percent off. With its days as a public company nearly over, Gucci Group will become a wholly Co., which owns the 160-door through the Beverly Center. The Nordstrom beauty de- 1 owned subsidiary of Pinault-Printemps-Redoute at a cost of close to $9 billion. Westside Pavilion, anchored by California is considered the partment was sparsely populat- a Nordstrom and Robinsons- nation’s biggest retail market ed on both sides of the counters. A terrorist scare in Los Angeles Thursday significantly curtailed business in May, less than 2 miles from the based on sales and square A MAC Cosmetics artist, who 2 the area malls. Federal Building. “Business is footage of shopping centers, ac- asked not to be identified, said, The strength of Liz Claiborne Inc.’s bridge segment and European business significantly off. There are some cording to the International “I got 30 calls from friends and 2 helped offset declining sales in the first quarter. people shopping, but this is not Council of Shopping Centers. The family about this and I don’t feel a normal day.” He said business state’s 6,243 shopping centers at- comfortable being here. I may Ruth Finley, founder and president of the Fashion Calendar for 60 years, shows may be back to normal in a day tract an estimated 24.8 million Continued on page 13 11 no signs of letting up and will be honored Monday by Citymeals-on-Wheels. SUZY Love Story Redux...Casting “The Three Stooges”...Johnny Depp, You 16 Rogue. Avon Earnings Vault 49.7% Classified Advertisements ..................................................................14-15 By Ross Tucker Excluding benefits from curren- have been easier to come by in To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is cy translation, the region report- developing markets, the company [email protected], using the individual’s name. NEW YORK — Double-digit sales ed a 24 percent gain. also realized gains in its home increases in each of its interna- “European results continue to market of the U.S. as well. Sales WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. COPYRIGHT ©2004 FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. tional markets helped Avon benefit from Russia’s stellar per- in the U.S., its largest market, VOLUME 187, NO. 91. WWD (ISSN # 0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional Products Inc. outdo even its own formance,” said Andrea Jung, grew 7 percent, driven by an 8 issue in January, May, June and November; two additional issues in February, April, September, October and December; and three additional issues in March and August, by Fairchild Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications, Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 7 expectations for the first quarter. chairman and chief executive, in percent gain in beauty sales. West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001. Shared Services provided by Advance Magazine Publishers Inc.: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; For the three months ended a statement. According to the firm, In particular, the firm said the Steven T. Florio, Vice Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, C.O.O.; John W. Bellando, Executive Vice-President and C.F.O.; Jill Bright, March 31, the New York-based Russia reported a 90 percent sales skin care category performed well Executive Vice-President_Human Resources; John Buese, Executive Vice-President_ Chief Information Officer; David Orlin, Senior Vice-President_Strategic Sourcing; Robert Bennis, Senior Vice-President_Real Estate; David B. Chemidlin, Senior Vice- cosmetics direct seller saw increase during the quarter, a 70 in the U.S., a sentiment expressed President_General Manager, Advance Magazine Group Shared Services Center. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at earnings vault 49.7 percent to percent gain excluding benefits earlier in the week by William additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40032712. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration $148.1 million, or 62 cents a di- from currency translation. 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Address all editorial, business, and production share. Comparatively, the com- 27 percent spike in sales, a 10 strength in a number of different correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001. For permissions and reprint requests, pany reported earnings of $98.9 percent gain excluding the bene- segments, not just the moisturiz- please call 212-221-9595 or fax requests to 212-221-9195. Visit us online: www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild million, or 42 cents a share, in fits of currency translation. ing segment,” Lauder told WWD magazines on the World Wide Web, visit www.fairchildpub.com. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive the year-ago period. Venezuela, Brazil and Argen- following the announcement of these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008 or call 800-289-0273. Sales, fueled by a 23 percent tina were the stars of the Latin the company’s third-quarter re- WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSS, DAMAGE, OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS, UNSOLICITED ART WORK (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND gain in beauty products, im- American market, where sales sults. “There’s a general trend to- TRANSPARENCIES), OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS. THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART proved 19.5 percent to $1.75 bil- grew 24 percent, or 17 percent wards skin care products.” WORK, OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED lion from $1.47 billion.