A Bubbly ’05 for LVMH: Net Leaps 21 Percent, Arnault Sees No Peers

LVMH reported a 21 percent hike in 2005 profits to $1.79 billion, led by sales of Louis Vuitton denim handbags and Dom Perignon champagne.

Coach Inc. said it will open 20 stores and expand 10 others inside malls owned by Simon Property Group over a two-year period.

Young told interviewer Ed Gordon that he tried to bring Wal-Mart into Nigeria last year.

“It’s important to go after a younger customer, but it’s also important to build the core franchise, which is the 35- to 50-year-old.”

A brief look at some of the day’s stories.

February brought a Northeast blizzard and tough comp-store comparisons, but Kohl’s and J.C. Penney were able to rise above the pack.

Dark, somber looks aren’t the only game in town.

Darker tones were making news, of course, but there were still plenty of touches of color and shine.

Miu Miu’s hotly anticipated show this Sunday in Paris marks a coming-of-age for the Italian brand, long-considered Prada’s little sister.

“I’m a Lady Who Lunches now,” Courtney Love said at Stella McCartney Thursday morning.

She may just be the best friend Kinerase ever had.

What’s behind the mask? Brighter skin, if SK-II has anything to say about it.

The patch, designed to be used around the eyes, employs a microcurrent gel delivery system to increase the penetration of active ingredients and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

Is there a whiff of Wisteria in the air? Certainly if it’s up to Coty Inc.

Nu Skin Enterprises is giving new meaning to personalized skin care with its ProDerm Skin Analyzer, a device used to measure facial tissue.

The Fragrance Foundation named five FiFi Award winners in the editorial excellence and technological breakthrough categories at its annual Finalist’s Breakfast Tuesday, a first for the organization.

Veteran nail technician Carolyn Cianciotto thinks she has the manicure business nailed.

A jigsaw puzzle with too many pieces: That’s how retailers described their cosmetics wall planograms.

In the race to charm discerning beauty consumers, specialty retailers are scrambling to add niche brands to their assortments.

The two-day event, which took place Sunday and Monday at the Los Angeles Convention Center, took its cues from Hollywood.

In a new marriage with PureBeauty, things for Jamal Hammadi are about to change.

The presidents of seven U.S. business trade and lobbying groups are worried about a backlash against U.S. investment abroad because of attempts by Congress to block, or have final approval over, a proposed takeover of operations at major U.S. ports by…

Chico’s FAS Inc. reported an uncharacteristic quarterly financial performance Wednesday after the close of the stock market, saying earnings per share missed analysts’ estimates.

With the countdown to Sunday’s 78th annual Academy Awards almost complete, a consensus has emerged in the precariously high-stakes business of dressing for Oscar.

Jack Keyser, chief economist at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., estimated that the Oscars generate $122.5 million in revenue for Los Angeles.

Elle has long lagged behind Vogue in the online arena but it’s finally starting to play some catch-up.

It was one of Patricia Arquette’s finer red-carpet moments.

Talbots Inc. posted a better-than-expected 28.6 percent increase in fourth-quarter earnings, driven by strong same-store sales and successful inventory management.

Teen specialty retailer Wet Seal Inc. said Jennifer Pritchard, president of the company’s Arden B. division since January 2004, has resigned.

The J.C. Penney Experience pop-up store that opens today at 1 Times Square is as much a showcase for technology as it is for the company’s branding campaign.

The couturier Lucien Lelong trailblazed the way for generations of designers with his double “L” logo, fragrances, accessories, self-promoting ads and socialite clientele.

Cornell Trading here has closed its U.S. operations and shut 79 stores that operated under the April Cornell banner.

Dominique Watine-Arnault, the president of the Fred jewelry house and sister of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton chairman and chief executive Bernard Arnault, died here on Monday.