True Religion Apparel to Open 2nd Los Angeles Store on N. Robertson Boulevard

True Religion Apparel Inc announced the continued retail expansion for its growing lifestyle apparel collection with the signing of a new store lease in Los Angeles. This will be the second True Religion Brand Jeans store to open in the Los Angeles area following the December 2005 opening in Manhattan Beach.



This new store will be located on arguably the trendiest street in Los Angeles - N. Robertson Boulevard. Described as "the Mecca for hip Los Angeles," N. Robertson Boulevard houses such high-end boutiques as Madison, Lisa Kline, Nanette Lepore, MAC, Maxfield Blue, Les Habitudes, Ted Baker and Armani Casa, as well as one of the best known restaurants in Los Angeles, The Ivy, known as the place for celebrity spotting.

The N. Robertson store will be the third full-price store retail lease signed this year following one in New York's SoHo shopping district, and one on Collins Avenue in Miami's South Beach, and is expected to open after the SoHo and South Beach stores, which currently are scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2006.

This new store, with 1,226 square feet of selling space, will carry the entire True Religion line of clothing, including Men's, Women's, and Kid's denim jeans, jackets, shirts, T-shirts, skirts, fleece hoodies and pants, as well as the increasingly expanding line of sportswear, including knits, wovens, loungewear and outerwear.

"N. Robertson has always been high on our list of the most desirable retail locations as it combines the exclusiveness of Beverly Hills and the cutting edge coolness of Melrose Avenue," said Michael Buckley, president of True Religion Apparel, Inc. "Our True Religion customer already shops here, so we are simply making our products even more accessible."

"Robertson is one of the top shopping streets in Los Angeles, attracting celebrity clientele and the most fashionable Angelenos and international tourists to this hip retail location," said Jeff Lubell, chairman and chief executive officer. "This is yet another example of our team's commitment to identifying and executing the opportunities that complement our lifestyle collection and our growth strategy."

True Religion Apparel, Inc. is a growing, design-based premium global lifestyle brand. The company designs, manufactures and markets True Religion Apparel products, including its premium True Religion Brand Jeans.

Its expanding product line, which includes high quality distinctive styling and fit, may be found in premier department stores and boutiques in 50 countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Scandanavia, Greece, Italy, Mexico, South America, Australia, South Africa, the Middle East, Korea, Japan, and China.

Source : True Religion Apparel, Inc

Louis LVMH delivers excellent results for the first half of 2006 - Operating profit rises 35% - Net profit improves 46%

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury products group, recorded a 19% increase in profit from recurring operations during the first half of 2006 and a 35% increase in operating profit.

Each of the business groups recorded double-digit growth in profit from recurring operations, a performance which is even more noteworthy in view of the strong growth in the first half of 2005.



Group share of net profit grew 46% compared to the first half of 2005. This increase was mainly attributable to the Group’s improved operating profitability and financial results.

Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, commented:
“Our performance during the first half of the year once again demonstrates the exceptional appeal of our brands as well as the coherence and effectiveness of our strategy. The Group again recorded double-digit growth in its results and continued to improve its profitability. Revenue growth over the summer has continued the trend we saw at the beginning of the year. Numerous product launches alongside growth of our core brands, both in our traditional markets and in the emerging countries, should allow LVMH to continue its progress in the second half of the year in a well oriented economic environment. All these elements enable us to confirm our objective of a very significant increase in results for 2006.”

Wines & Spirits: continued growth in volumes

Wines & Spirits achieved an 11% increase in profit from recurring operations in the first half of 2006. A strong innovation program, combined with sustained marketing, was carried out during the period. Progress in high potential countries, notably China and Russia, accelerated while recently acquired brands, Glenmorangie and Belvedere, pursued their repositioning and expansion in core markets.
The Wines & Spirits brands have collectively achieved a remarkable performance driven by strong growth in sales volumes. Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon enjoyed significant growth in Japan. Veuve Clicquot benefited from particularly strong demand in Europe and in the United States.
Hennessy cognac confirmed its momentum in its target markets, notably the United States and China, and its premium qualities enjoyed the highest levels of growth.

Fashion & Leather Goods: continued exceptional growth of Louis Vuitton

Fashion & Leather Goods improved profit from recurring operations by 13%, taking the operating margin above 30% in the first half of 2006.
With double-digit organic growth in revenue, Louis Vuitton continues to reinforce its market position and to deliver exceptional profitability. Its performance in Europe and in Asia was particularly strong. The success of its new leather goods lines, which already have waiting lists around the world, and the launch of its first eyewear collection, illustrate Louis Vuitton’s impressive creative abilities.
Fendi’s performance was sustained by the excellent reception to its Spring-Summer 2006 collection; with the B.Fendi bag being one of the leading products of the season. The brand has developed its store network and has improved its profitability. Loewe, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan are also progressing well.

Perfumes & Cosmetics: success of innovations

Perfumes & Cosmetics posted an 80% increase in profit from recurring operations. Parfums Christian Dior continued to win market share and improved profitability. All product categories have seen good momentum throughout all markets. The exceptional launch of its skincare product Capture Totale, the continued progress of J’Adore and the remarkable success of the make-up range have been the main drivers behind the development of the brand. Guerlain has confirmed its momentum in its target markets in the first half of 2006, in particular in Asia and Europe. Its new skincare range, Orchidée Impériale, has been enormously successful. Parfums Givenchy has benefited from the strong performance of Very Irresistible and BeneFit continues to develop rapidly.


Watches & Jewelry: strong growth in profitability

Watches & Jewelry has seen a strong rise in its results, more than doubling its recurring operating margin, which now exceeds 10%.

TAG Heuer had strong growth during the period in both revenue and profit. The brand highlighted its move towards the high end of the market with its Carrera, Link and Aquaracer lines and made significant gains in market share. Zenith had good momentum with the successful launch of Class Open. Montres Dior confirmed the considerable success of the Christal line. Chaumet continued to advance with the success of the automatic watch Dandy.


Selective Retailing: further improvement in results

DFS continued to focus on gaining Asian clientele and maintained rigorous control of costs despite the weakness of the Yen. Sephora performed remarkably in Europe and in the United States, continuing to win market share and further improving its profitability.

Outlook for 2006

Revenue in July and August 2006 confirms the continuation of the Group’s growth trend experienced since the beginning of the year. In a well oriented economic environment, LVMH will continue to grow thanks to the Group’s global market leadership and its numerous new product launches planned before the end of the year. All the above factors allow the Group to confirm its objective of a very significant increase in results for 2006.

Our policy of focusing on quality across our entire product range, combined with the dynamism and unparalleled creativity of our teams will enable us, once again in 2006, to reinforce LVMH’s global leadership position in luxury products.

An interim dividend payment of 0.30 Euros will be paid on December 1, 2006.

Source : Louis Vutton (LVMH Goup)

Tandy Leather Factory Inc Reports 5% Sales up in August

Tandy Leather Factory Inc reported that sales for the month of August were $4.4 million, an increase of 5% from $4.2 million last year. Year to date sales are up 10% to $36.1 million in the current year from $32.9 million last year.



Retail Leathercraft posted a 13% sales increase for August, with sales totaling $1.7 million compared to $1.5 million in August 2005. The 46 comparable stores' sales were flat for the month. The 16 stores opened since July 2005 added August sales of $271,000. Year-to-date sales for Retail Leathercraft are $14.1 million this year, a 22% increase over sales of $11.2 million for the same period of 2005. As of the end of August, the same store sales gain for the 42 comparable stores is 7% for the year.

Wholesale Leathercraft posted sales of $2.6 million for August. Within the Wholesale Leathercraft division, the comparable wholesale centers' sales were $2.1 million for August, down 2% from August 2005 sales. The National Account group's sales were up 5% from August 2005. For the year to date, Wholesale Leathercraft sales are $20.9 million compared to $20.5 million in 2005, an increase of 1.8%.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Wray Thompson, commented, "August was another tough sales month, particularly at our Tandy Leather retail stores. However, as we had indicated previously, we were not expecting great sales results in August. We still believe we will finish the quarter with a strong September, which will start the momentum for the holiday shopping season."

Tandy Leather Factory, Inc., headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a specialty retailer and wholesale distributor of a broad product line including leather, leatherworking tools, belt buckles and adornments, leather dyes and finishes, saddle and tack hardware, and do-it-yourself kits.

The Company distributes its products as The Leather Factory through its wholesale distribution centers and as Tandy Leather Company through its retail stores. Its common stock trades on the American Stock Exchange with the symbol "TLF."

Source : Tandy Leather Factory, Inc.