-
Jun 29 2009
ABC Expo Reserves Day One for Specialty Brick-and-Mortars
All Baby & Child, Inc., the San Antonio-based parent company of the ABC Kids Expo, has announced that the first day of its 2009 edition will be dedicated exclusively to brick-and-mortar specialty store retailers. The following three days of the show will be open to all retail buyers. The company noted this decision will help […]
-
Jun 23 2009
Local Economy Booster
What to do when times are tough? Print your own money, of course. That’s what some cities and towns are doing. http://tinyurl.com/qkb4wr Apparently it’s legal, and local currency helps encourage residents to spend locally. With stores and restaurants closing with a scary frequency lately, many people have devised ways to help their city economy. Here […]
-
Jun 23 2009
Hot Foot
We’re on the eve of our latest Little Steps footwear magazine collaboration with sister pub Footwear Plus. (Read it at http://tinyurl.com/nemjzz) I think this is our third year. Initially our mission was to educate retailers on the value of adding (or expanding on their) shoes. Well, whether we can take sole credit for it or […]
-
Jun 23 2009
A Disservice
I always complain. Hey, it’s not my fault. Growing up, my parents were big letter writers. If they felt they weren’t being treated fairly, they put pen to paper. These days, my upbringing has combined with my professional curiosity. Everyone always claims to offer great customer service, so I often test it. My conclusion: I […]
-
Jun 23 2009
Celeb Designer Hype
So Stella McCartney is doing a kids’ collection with the Gap (http://tinyurl.com/n4q3wa). Marketing sure makes strange bedfellows. Though I think her Adidas collection is relatable with broad appeal, I’m not sure those would be the first words I’d use for her main collection. I’ll be interested to see what this line looks like. It also […]
-
Jun 23 2009
Creativity Gets the Boot
Read an article in the New York Times today about the role of department store creative directors and how they’re loosing their jobs—kind of end of an era. As the position is described in the article, the creative directors are responsible for scouting new designers and generally keeping the store fresh and giving it character. […]
-
Jun 22 2009
K.I.D.S., Stride Rite Aid Children’s Health Program
New York State’s First Lady Michelle Paige Patterson launched her anti-obesity program Healthy Steps to Albany program to encourage kids to become active, and K.I.D.S. and Stride Rite Children’s Group recently got in on the act, donating 400 pairs of athletic shoes to keep them exercising. The First Lady’s Healthy Steps to Albany program challenged […]
-
Jun 22 2009
First LittleMissMatched Store Planned for Downtown Disney
Disneyland Resort will play host to the first-ever permanent retail location of LittleMissMatched, the New York-based lifestyle brand that grew out of a pair of mismatched socks to encompass products from books to PJs to bedding. The store will be located in the heart of Downtown Disney and is scheduled to open late this summer. […]
-
Jun 22 2009
Licensing Expo Reports Attendee Growth in ’09
Licensing International Expo’s 29th annual edition reportedly brought in more than 113 new exhibitors and 130 new retailer attendees, and the show organizers reported the new Las Vegas location was well received overall, as the move allowed exhibitors to be consolidated on one continuous show floor. “It was almost unanimous that this was one of […]
-
Jun 22 2009
Maclaren Acquires Netto
Maclaren, a British manufacturer of strollers and other baby products, announced last week it has acquired the NettoCollection modern juvenile furniture company based in New York. The deal marks Maclaren’s entry into nursery furniture. Dan Pennacchio, president of Maclaren USA, said NettoCollection was a good fit because it is well known for the quality, style […]
-
Jun 22 2009
Trimfoot Co. to Handle Sales of Guess Kids Footwear
BBC International, a global footwear design and development company based in Boca Raton, Fla., has announced that Farmington, Mo. -based Trimfoot Co. will handle the U.S. sales and distribution for Guess Kids footwear. Trimfoot has sold and distributed the Guess infants’ program for the past four seasons and will now cover both the infant and […]
-
Jun 15 2009
Winners of 2009 iParenting Awards Announced
After extensive product testing and evaluation, iParenting Awards, a division of Disney Interactive Media Group, has revealed its picks for the year’s best baby, toddler and pregnancy products. This year’s award-winners include: Halo’s 100-percent Certified Organic Cotton four-piece gift set (wearable blanket, hat, long-sleeve coverall and bodysuit Shooshoos’ white/pink lace flower soft-sole leather baby shoes […]
-
Jun 15 2009
Stella McCartney to Design Children’s Line for Gap
Fashion designer Stella McCartney will team up with GapKids and babyGap for a new collection that will launch this year. The line—Gap by Stella McCartney—will be carried in select stores Stateside as well as Canada, the U.K., France, Ireland and Japan. It will also be available online in the United States. According to a recent […]
-
Jun 15 2009
Kids Headquarters Acquires Avirex
Kids Headquarters of New York has purchased the Avirex label for young men from Marc Ecko Enterprises, which reportedly constitutes a $50 million wholesale business. Avirex president Jeff Strumeier will continue to run the brand. Kids Headquarters has held the children’s wear license for Ecko Unlimited for many years and has created kids’ apparel for […]
-
Jun 15 2009
Independent Bookseller Debuts Zutano Shop-in-Shop
Last week, Northshire Bookstore, an independent retailer in Manchester, Vt., launched a 250-square-foot Zutano boutique within its children’s book department. Modeled after the Zutano flagship in the company’s hometown of Montpelier, Vt., the mini boutique features white-washed shelving stocked with a full array of the brand’s trademark brightly patterned newborn and toddler apparel. A sculptural […]
-
Jun 15 2009
Tea Collection Aids D.C. Nonprofit with Clothing Donation
San Francisco-based Tea Collection made a donation of 160 Global Fund for Children bodysuits to Ascensions Community Services Inc. (www.2ascend.org), an organization in the nation’s capital that provides holistic, integrated psychological interventions to children and their families living in poor neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. The baby apparel will be given away at “Bringing […]
-
Jun 15 2009
Showroom News
• Seattle-based Greensource, the ninth largest designer and manufacturer of organic cotton apparel in the world, has opened a New York office and showroom for sales of its affordable organic apparel. The office will be led by Brady Hill, vice president of sales, formerly located in Bentonville, AR. In line with the company’s philosophy, the […]
-
Jun 8 2009
Heir Debuts Retail Store, Announces Model Search
Last month, children’s wear company Heir Apparel opened an 800-square-foot retail space in El Segundo, Calif.’s Plaza El Segundo. The store carries Heir’s clothing for boys and girls as a select few other lines. Owner Zna Houston noted an adjacent 200-square-foot space has been set up as an Etiquette Pavilion, where the company hosts a […]
-
Jun 8 2009
Royalty Revenues Down 5.6% Per 2008 Licensing Survey
According to the latest annual survey from the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA), brand owners collected $5.7 billion in licensing royalty revenue in 2008—5.6 percent less than they collected in the previous year. The report showed royalty revenue collected by brand owners declined in eight of the nine categories of licenses tracked. The collegiate […]
-
Jun 8 2009
Showroom News & Vendor Updates
• Having outgrown its previous space, baby products company Patricia Ann Designs and its spin-off business, the PADShowroom, recently relocated to a 2,000-square-foot home at 22821 Lake Forest Dr., Suite 113-114, Lake Forest, CA 92630. In addition to Patricia Ann Designs, the PADShowroom carries Aloha Baby, Gem Bébé, Georgie Tees, Posh ‘n’ Pretty and other […]
