LEVI’S TAPS RETAIL HEAD/2 WALGREENS PUSHES INTO APPAREL/3 WWDWomen’s Wear Daily • WEDNESDAYThe Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • December 13, 2006 • $2.00 Sportswear Feeling All Bright Red, blue, yellow and green — strong colors are making a comeback for transition. Here, an example, photographed at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s JoJo restaurant: Poleci’s vivid silk tunic and Binetti’s cotton shorts. Scarf by Carolina Amato; Ben-Amun jewelry. For more, see pages 6 and 7. Sephora’s World Grows: Home Shopping Network T WILLIAMS; STYLED BY MAYTE ALLENDE MAYTE T WILLIAMS; STYLED BY Latest Channel for Chain By Pete Born ephora’s drive to extend its reach is ; FASHION ASSISTANT: COUR ASSISTANT: ; FASHION Sbeing beamed across the television airwaves with the debut today of a series of one-hour shows on Home Shopping Network. The French-based beauty retail chain T ARTISTSBYTIMOTHYPRIANO.COM is broadcasting four shows today — at 1 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. — from its Fifth Avenue store near 48th Street in New York. A trio of personalities — Julie Redfern, the Sephora beauty editor, and Dianna Perkovic and MAKEUP BY ANTHEA KING, BOTH A MAKEUP BY Collen Lopez from HSN — will pitch Sephora’s top picks for holiday gifts and beauty tips to navigate a season of See Home, Page 12 ITE; HAIR BY JACQUELINE BUSH AND ITE; HAIR BY PHOTO BY ROBERT MITRA; MODEL: JOAN/EL ROBERT PHOTO BY 2 WWD, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2006 WWD.COM Levi’s Appoints Head of Retailing WWDWEDNESDAY By David Moin been with two-year-old Ruehl sales are up 17 percent, year-to- Sportswear since March 2005, serving as the date, and there have been a few ark Breitbard, senior vice division’s top executive and re- high-profi le openings this month, Mpresident and general man- porting to Mike Jeffries, chairman including Westfi eld Topanga in FASHION ager of the Ruehl division at and chief executive offi cer of par- California and Aventura Mall in Intense hues, from the deepest purples to the brightest greens, are Abercrombie & Fitch, is joining ent Abercrombie & Fitch and the Florida. A unit in Roosevelt Field 6 making their way into transition collections, setting the tone for fall. Levi Strauss & Co. to head up driving force behind Ruehl. shopping center in Garden City, retailing, WWD has learned. Breitbard informed A&F of N.Y., is to open around February. GENERAL Levi’s, with revenues of $4.1 his decision to take a new job on Other openings were in the West- Sephora’s drive to amass a wider audience is being beamed across the billion, has an opportunity to ex- Tuesday and will remain with fi eld San Francisco Centre and airwaves today with the debut of a series of one-hour shows on HSN. pand in retailing. There are only the company for a week or so, in Dallas Galleria. A total of 14 1 65 company-owned stores in nine an amicable parting, said people Ruehl stores are operating. Drugstore giant Walgreen Co. thinks it has the right prescription for countries, according to the fi rm. close to the situation who spoke A&F probably won’t rush to 3 moderate fashion shoppers: apparel, jewelry, accessories and more. Levi’s this year has been hurt on condition of anonymity. fi nd a successor to Breitbard, EYE: Getting the ladies to the outer boroughs isn’t easy, but the mild weather by Wal-Mart’s decision to devote “He’s leaving on good terms,” considering that the top Ruehl for the New York Botanical Garden Winter Wonderland Ball made it effortless. more apparel space to private said a source. merchants responsible for major 4 label brands and reduce its Levi’s Breitbard’s title at Levi’s is classifi cations, such as denim, MAINSTREAM: As students repay the gift of learning this season, inventory, retail consolidation, a believed to be president, in an knit tops and outerwear, have 8 teachers give an A to gift certifi cates and presents that are thoughtful. sluggish European retail environ- appointment that portends a big been reporting to Jeffries, who China’s apparel and textile imports rebounded from embargoes last year, ment and a sales dip in Japan. push into retailing. Levi’s re- maintains a hands-on style. jumping by 22.3 percent to 1.8 billion SME, worth $3 billion, in October. For the three months ended cently opened a 3,500-square-foot Before joining Ruehl, Breit- 9 Aug. 27, the San Francisco-based store in Manhattan at 25 West 14th bard was in merchandising at TECH: Apparel and beauty retailers are embracing customer-written denim manufacturer reported Street that shows a more refi ned GapKids, babyGap and Banana 10 reviews, which help increase sales and provide vital feedback. that earnings climbed 28.8 per- approach to specialty retailing. Republic. His background in- WEST: Seaton and Aqua VI hope surfer girls will wear their pricy cent to $49.3 million, compared Levi Strauss offi cials were not cludes running a start-up juice with $38.2 million in the year-ago available for comment Tuesday. business in Europe called Fresh 14 cashmere hoodies, cotton gauze dresses and burnout T-shirts. period. Much of the increase was Ruehl is on target to be profi t- Europe. For a year at Gap, he was attributed to a $29 million gain able by the end of fi scal 2007, the the personal assistant to then-ceo Classifi ed Advertisements.............................................................15-19 stemming from the planned clo- source said. The assortment is Mickey Drexler, who is currently To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is fi rstname. sure of a distribution center in geared to appeal to women and chairman and ceo of J. Crew Little Rock, Ark. men ages 22 to 30 and has been Group. Breitbard was involved in [email protected], using the individual’s name. Breitbard, considered an en- moving in a more casual direction a range of activities for Drexler, WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. COPY- trepreneurial, creative merchant and achieving stronger consumer from organizational and strategic RIGHT ©2006 FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. more than a retail operator, has response as a result. Same-store issues to writing speech copy. VOLUME 192, NO. 124. WWD (ISSN # 0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in January, two additional issues in March, May, June, August, October, November and December, and three additional issues in February, April, and September by Fairchild Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications, Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Advance Magazine Publishers Inc.: S.I. Newhouse Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, President & C.E.O.; John W. Bellando, Executive Vice President and C.O.O.; Jill Bright, Executive Vice President_Human Resources; John Buese, Executive Vice President_Chief Information Officer; David Paris Commission Blocks H&M Store Orlin, Senior Vice President_Strategic Sourcing; Robert Bennis, Senior Vice President_Real Estate; Maurie Perl, Senior Vice Presi- dent_Chief Communications Officer. Shared Services provided by Advance Magazine Group: Steven T. Florio, Advance Magazine By Robert Murphy Champs-Elysées is becoming too monolithic a Group Vice Chairman; David B. Chemidlin, Senior Vice President_General Manager, Shared Services Center. shopping magnate to the detriment of cultural Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. PARIS — Never mind that there’s already Zara and destinations, such as movie theaters. Offi cials 40644503. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No. 88654-9096-RT0001. Canada post return undeliverable Gap stores on the Champs-Elysées here. Hennes also worry the number of restaurants on the Canadian addresses to: DPGM, 7496 Bath Road, Unit 2, Mississauga, ON L4T 1L2. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS & Mauritz has been denied permission to open a street are in decline. CHANGES TO WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, branch on the famed street amid concerns its pres- Eateries on the street range from Fouquets to ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WOMEN’S WEAR ence would “banalize” the high-traffic avenue. McDonald’s, with shops from Cartier to Mango DAILY, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008; Call 800-289-0273; or visit www.subnow.com/wd . Four A spokeswoman for the Swedish fast-fashion and Virgin to Guerlain lining the sidewalks, weeks is required for change of address. Please give both new and old address as printed on most recent label. chain confi rmed the decision by a Paris com- some of the busiest in Paris. Subscriptions Rates: U.S. possessions, Retailer, daily one year: $109; Manufacturer, daily one year $145. All other mission to block H&M’s plans to open a store in If the decision holds, it will not be the fi rst U.S., daily one year $205. Canada/Mexico, daily one year, $295. All other foreign (Air Speed), daily one year $595. a spot formerly occupied by Club Med. time offi cials have successfully regulated shop- First copy of new subscription will be mailed within four weeks after receipt of order. Address all editorial, business, “We are very surprised and disappointed,” ping on the Champs-Elysées. and production correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. For permissions and reprint requests, please call 212-221-9595 or fax requests to 212-221-9195. Visit us online: www.wwd.com.