IN BRIEF
Hat Pact: Italian fashion house Trussardi said Thursday that it has signed a deal for British milliner Philip Treacy to design an exclusive line of women’s hats. Trussardi by Philip Treacy is set to launch at the end of September during the Milan ready-to-wear shows, and will be sold exclusively at Trussardi stores. A spokeswoman said a men’s line is also in the works. Trussardi sponsored Treacy’s couture show Tuesday in Paris.
Cohen Lands: Former Laundry chief executive officer Andrew Cohen is expected to be named president of Jeri-Jo Knitwear Inc., a division of Jones Apparel Group’s subsidiary, McNaughton Apparel Group, today. Cohen will report to Peter Boneparth, president and ceo of McNaughton Apparel Group. Cohen is a veteran of Esprit de Corp. and Chorus Line Corp.
Ashford Assailed: Luxury e-tailer Ashford.com is the target of a class-action lawsuit filed by Bernstein Liebhard & Lifshitz on behalf of shareholders who bought the dot-com’s shares between Sept. 22, 1999 — when it went public at $13 a share — and Dec. 6, 2000. The case, pending in U.S. district court for the Southern District of New York, charges Ashford, Goldman, Sachs and E-Offering, among others, with failing to disclose or falsifying material information in the dot-com’s initial public offering documents. Ashford’s stock closed at 20 cents a share, off 3 cents, in Nasdaq trading Thursday.
Sears’ Closed Call: As part of a continuing move to consolidate its call centers, Sears, Roebuck & Co. will shutter its Provo, Utah, call center in October at a cost of 365 jobs.