Julia Alcântara
Martina M
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Weronika Kumanek
PUMA announced a collaboration with Leisurecorp, partners with The European Tour in creating The Race To Dubai, which has replaced The European Tour Order of Merit and will culminate in The European Tour’s grand finale event, the inaugural Dubai World Championship. The collaboration officially begins at the South African Open Championship at Pearl Valley Golf Estates.
The Race to Dubai, will feature the world’s top players including PUMA’s stand-out players Geoff Ogilvy and Johan Edfors, as well as up-and-coming PUMA-sponsored South African golfer Tomas Aiken. They will fight for 60 spots in the season ending Dubai World Championship and a share of the US $10 million purse. An additional $10 million prize fund will be split between those finishing in the top 15 in The Race to Dubai. The Dubai World Championship will take place at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Leisurecorp’s signature development, in November 2009.
The collaboration between Leisurecorp and PUMA, the sportlifestyle company known for injecting color, style and fun into the golfing world, will definitely not be par for the course. PUMA has introduced a unique approach to The Race To Dubai with the introduction of two limited edition golf shoes featuring graphical representations of iconic buildings of countries featured in The European Tour – collectively known as The Race to Dubai skyline.
The Race to Dubai Skyline Swing Crown GTX, a pure performance shoe with Smart Quill technology, features 38 “quills” on each outsole to maximize traction and comfort while minimizing weight. The second shoe, the C-Hopper, is a sportlifestyle shoe offering anti-rotational outsoles with cleats and street caps, designed to be worn on and off the course.
PUMA will also have a presence at select tournaments in The Race to Dubai by supplying apparel to physios in The Race to Dubai Physio Truck, staff and player apparel and footwear, featured PUMA Golf product in pro-shops, and a number of unique events and promotions for fans to get them engaged as only PUMA can. Golf fans at these select tournaments can win a pair of PUMA Skyline shoes and be eligible for the grand prize - a trip to the Dubai World Championship.
“We are thrilled to partner with Leisurecorp and be a part of The Race to Dubai,” said Bob Phillion, PUMA Golf International Business Unit Manager. “The fact that the tournaments are played across four continents and attract players from around the world really speaks to the global nature of the PUMA brand. The freshness and innovative thinking Leisurecorp brings to the tournaments and to the game of golf fit the PUMA Golf mantra of being stylish, inclusive, colorful and fun.”
PUMA entered the golf category in 2006, immediately catching the eyes of golfers with their vibrant, stylish, fun and always modern world of golf. Since 2006, PUMA Golf has exploded and continuously expands its product selection to include fashion pieces driven by sport and technology, always focusing on making the golfer look better, feel better and play better. Today, PUMA golf athletes include top players such as Ogilvy and Edfors as well as Jeff Overton and Erica Blasberg.
A diplomatic gesture to the newly elected 736 members of the European Parliament have made the representatives official non-governmental of 13 European states, united in the European Fashion Council. With personal congratulating addresses for the results in the European elections 2009 and the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin’s wall that announced United Europe, the chairman of this Council Nadya Valeva wished good health, prosperity and successful mandate.
« We, the representatives of the European creative industry from 13 countries, feel an extreme gratification of your activity from the very beginning. We believe that we could unite our efforts in the initiation and the development of new and creative ideas with international significance. » is said in the letter to the members of the European Parliament.
« By the variety of opportunities which the fashion and the unique fashion design give, combined with the geographical location and geopolitical situation, your and our desire for changes could contribute to incredible results in the development of the European intercultural dialog and the world. »
This is how the European Fashion Council has made its first public declaration to participate in the building of the future of the European community and showed another direction for the building of United and Powerful Europe through its most attractive cultural segment – The Mode.
After the establishment of the European Fashion Council in 2007 and the admission of the European ethical fashion code and Program, the year 2009 has shown the first public legalization and recognition of this European fashion institution.
In a personal letter to the President of France Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, the European Fashion Council through its Chairwoman Nadya Valeva has thanked for the honor to represent the European designer’s community in the Residence of the French Republic in Bulgaria during the celebrations for the French national holiday and the130th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between France and Bulgaria.
« Congratulations to you personally, Mr. President, on your correct assessment in the selection of French diplomats, whose task is to build and work hard for excellent image of France as a country which has always been first in giving ideas and the first recognition cultural and national identity of nations. », with this Nadya Valeva thanked for the attention of His Exc. Etienne de Poncins – the ambassador of France in Bulgaria. The thanking letter ends with a promise for a response to the French diplomatic gesture.
Recently, data from National Bureau of Statistics show that National Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) was 55.2 percent in November 2009, unchanged from the previous month. The index has been at the critical point - more than 50 percent for nine consecutive months, indicating that manufacturing economy, as a whole remains stable and an upward trend.
Production index was 59.4 percent, edged up by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, continuing at or above the critical point, being the highest point since May 2008, indicating that chain comparison of manufacturing production continued to show a growing trend being driven by expansion in market demand.
From the view of industrial situation, chain growth in production of most manufacturing industries increased, among them, tobacco products, garment, shoes and hats manufacturing, fur feather products and textiles industries showed rapid growth in production.
New order index was 58.4 percent, down 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, being above the critical point for 11 consecutive months, indicating that number of new orders for manufacturing firms continues to rise.
From the situation of sub-sectors, textile industry, garment industry, shoes and hats manufacturing, fur feather products industries saw significantly increase of new orders.
Pakistan’s textile exporters have received 1.5 billion dollars in Christmas apparel orders from United States and European countries, giving a fresh lease of life to the dying industry.
"The industry was going down until we received Christmas orders this year. We have received 20 per cent more orders this year," Mohsin Mirza, Chairman of Pakistan Readymade Garments Association, told IslamOnline.net.
The textile industry earned 10.5 billion dollars in 2007 but business slipped down to 9.7 billion dollars in 2008 following a wave of violence in the country and the global financial crisis.
"This is a kind of revival of the textile industry in Pakistan."
Mirza says the Christmas orders have prompted the otherwise tottering industry to pick up.
"The industry was really in a bad shape, especially during last year, when we receive fewer orders due to recession and other factors."
A massive backlog last year, caused by gas and power shortage, not only incurred huge losses on exporters but earned them a reputation of being unreliable.
The energy crisis also forced the entrepreneurs to lay off thousands of employees associated with textile industry.
Textile is the largest employment sector in Pakistan.
Around 2.5 million people are attached with this sector, which has suffered a lot during last few years due to a simmering energy crisis and an ongoing spate of violence.
UK tanners and leather goods manufacturer Pittards has recently received the visit of Princess Royal who has opened the new market suite at the company.
The Ethiopian Ambassador to the UK, Berhanu Kebede was also present among the invited guests of the princess' tour. A week prior to the royal visit, the company had announced the acquisition of the Ethiopia Tannery Share Company (ETSC) of which the tannery located outside of Addis Ababa for last four years had been managed by Pittards.
Through the acquisition, ETSC can benefit from Pittards know-how and technology which will allow the tannery to add value to the abundant raw material and will act as important source of income generation for the country.
As the capital prepares to become the international fashion focus for buyers and retailers alike, Pure London springs into season introducing new sections within the footwear and accessory areas, creating a vibrant new atmosphere and providing visitors with a more effective and enjoyable buying experience.
With the largest ever collection of accessories and footwear, Pure London is the ultimate one stop shop! This February the Footwear Hall unveils a new look splitting the brands into three areas, New to Pure Footwear, Trend Led and Design Led, allowing buyers to source collections more easily.
The Trend Led section will include top footwear designer Steve Madden, who returns with his eye-catching Autumn/Winter 2010 collection adored by celebrities including Lindsay Lohan, Kate Moss and Katy Perry. The range will consist of leather biker style boots, cute shoe boots and more glamorous evening shoes with striking detailing. Showing alongside Steve Madden; Bronx, Eject, Irregular Choice, Prophecy, Fly London and Marco Tozzi will be introducing new collections. The Design Led section is set to showcase stylish ranges from the likes of Chie Mihara, Audley and popular Brazilian brand Melissa, while New to Pure will include Puro, Schu, Chocolate schubar, Paez shoes and Ruby Brown.
Pretty Ballerinas return for another season showcasing a range of cute pumps featuring intricate detailing.‘Pure London is the best way of reaching the high fashion customers all under one roof.The timing of the show is perfect as it’s early enough to sell short order Spring/Summer 2010 product as well as get forward order for Autumn/Winter.’ commented David Bell, Pretty Ballerinas,
Everyday in the Sole Café, upstairs in the footwear hall, Drapers footwear editor Laura Weir will exclusively provide buyers with practical advice on topics such as how to buy footwear for your store and key trends for the Autumn/Winter 2010 season. Visitors can be sure to stock up on top Autumn/Winter collections guaranteed to tempt their customers. With new accessory collections from Konplott, Mimco, Soho Hearts and Calvin Klein Accessories visitors can find some of the best new talent and be sure to secure some fabulous pieces.
Regular favourites Danish brand, Dyrberg Kern will be showcasing their unique designs using Swarovski crystals alongside exquisite styles from Sam Ubhi Vintage.Launching this season, Fiorelli Jewellery will be bringing their new collection of elegant costume jewellery in rich colours as well as classic silver necklace sets.
Also added to the line up is RI2K with their beautiful range of bags as well as collections from the much loved Olga Berg, Hobo, Red or Dead and Suzy Smith. Wonderweave will be showcasing the finest collection of shrugs and shawls as well as London based label Skive & Toole who will be wowing buyers with a range of leather accessories for men. Returning to the show after missing a season Ruby and Ed will be presenting their beautiful range of cosy slippers and snuggly sleepwear.
Top British designer Zandra Rhodes has chosen Pure London to launch her beautiful new handbag collection. ‘Pure London is the exact target market for the Zandra Rhodes Bag Collection. Pure London provides good quality and forward thinking independents as well as major departmental stores who would suit the profile of the Zandra Rhodes bag collection.’ Commented Karen Youdell.
Research held by Pure London proved that 47% of visitors to the show say their customers include woman between the ages of 16 and 25 years and 58% sell accessories in their stores. In light of this Pure London will be launching a new area, Funky&Fresh.The section will house must-have accessory brands for the cool, trendy fashion retailer. Located in the National Hall Gallery above the Spirit section, Funky&Fresh will make sourcing the most relevant accessories easier. Confirmed brands include Disney Couture, Kangol Headwear, Miss Sugarcane and Julie Bernardin. Bashir Mohammed, Director of young fashion independent American Pie stated: “This is a fantastic idea to group like-minded brands together in the Accessories section. It will make buying much easier and makes perfect sense to have the young fashion accessory brands sit above the Spirit section."
ATG the premier provider of cross-channel and e-commerce solutions, announced its retail Commerce OnDemand clients saw a significant increase in site traffic and Web sales in the first official week of the holiday shopping season. Using ATG software and services to personalize their merchandising efforts and promotional campaigns, many of the biggest names in the retail industry have been able to boost e-commerce sales and conversion rates.
These clients represent some of the most recognizable, largest, and fastest-growing fashion and sportswear apparel brands, consumer electronics merchants, and various other sellers of consumer goods. The ATG clients that drive these results also represent smaller, yet high growth sectors that require the scalability and reliability of a mature commerce platform.
Numerous studies and consulting firms reported e-commerce sales for Black Friday were higher this year than in 2008, with record numbers of consumers shopping online on Cyber Monday. ATG clients experienced similar results:
• Traffic on Cyber Monday was up by as much as 50-100 percent year-over-year for many e-tailers whose Web stores are powered by the ATG Commerce OnDemand e-commerce platform and application suite.
• Several mid-sized retail companies reported year-over-year e-commerce sales growth of more than 200 percent.
• In general, year-over-year Web revenue grew by an average of 57 percent for the top 10 retailers on the ATG Commerce OnDemand platform.
In addition to ATG’s e-commerce platform and application suite, the company also offers a line of Optimization Services tools, which can be easily added to any Web site to engage customers, increase conversions and reduce shopping cart abandonment. This holiday season, e-tailers who have implemented these services have seen an increase in the number of visitors who ultimately completed transactions on their sites:
• For instance, one major apparel retailer added an automated product suggestions feature (called ATG Recommendations) to its site in advance of the holiday season; over the first six days of the official holiday shopping season, personalized product suggestions presented to visitors have increased average order sizes by $53 per order.
• On Cyber Monday alone, the sales conversion rates for consumers who were presented with these personalized recommendations were triple the rate for customers who did not interact with them.
• Another fast-growing fashion retailer saw similar returns in the six-day period, with triple conversion rates for consumers who interacted with personalized, automated recommendations on its site and mobile phone application.
• An ATG-powered retailer is using proactive live help (via ATG’s eStara Click to Chat) to engage holiday shoppers with live, expert sales assistance. More than 23,000 of the site’s 1.5 million holiday shoppers over the past 30 days have used Click to Chat, converting at ten times the site’s average conversion rate and leading to more than half a million dollars in online merchandise sales.
“It’s clear retailers are seeing success this year by combining attractive, aggressive sales promotions with personalization techniques that enable them to target different segments of shoppers with offers they’re likely to be interested in,” said Nina McIntyre, ATG senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
“As value remains a concern for many consumers, ATG-powered retailers are creating rules to personalize promotional campaigns and using automated product recommendations tools to tailor what various shoppers see when they land on a site, driving traffic and keeping them engaged. This strategy is helping many companies meet and even exceed their e-commerce expectations this holiday season.”
ATG solutions power the cross-channel and e-commerce activities for more than 900 global brands across a vast array of industries, including numerous retailers, telecommunications providers and consumer product manufacturers.
Global market for luxury products has grown at a pace of 15% for a year, outperforming mainstream apparel sectors. But, during the past few months, the market experienced shrinkage of 10% during the first two quarters of 2009 due to economic crisis. There was a shift in the shopping trends of the consumers making them to move towards private labels and cheaper brands. Industry analysts predict that sales of luxury products will have a sluggish growth in 2009, and will revive by the end of 2010. Industry analysts also predict that sales in the segment will further increase by 4% by 2011, and ultimately recover completely in 2012. Companies need to adopt new strategies, and opt for cost cutting tactics, and attempt to develop a premium shopping experience.
Diplomats of foreign affairs and trade of more than 20 emerging nations have come together and held talks regarding the proposal of a preferential trade blueprint to cut export tariffs by at least 20% on at least 70% of exported goods.
These countries include India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Argentina, Brazil and Egypt, but the cut of tariff may exclude textiles and apparel. Sources said even China, the most competitive emerging economy is not part of the campaign, sensitive textile and apparel produced by some participating nations such as Brazil and Argentina are not discussed the list.
Jorge Taiana, Argentina's minister of foreign affairs and trade, who chaired the talks, said parties to the UN-sponsored Global System of Trade Preferences will launch intensive negotiations next year to conclude a final accord by the end of September 2010.
