Weekly Top 5 – Five Articles Worth Reading

Producers Tentatively Stand By Bangladesh

Labor costs are rising even in Bangladesh.

L.A. Anti-Counterfeit Sweep Brings 30 Arrests

Are the Feds starting to finally crack down on these folks? Feds suggest a trend of criminals switching from narcotics to intellectual property crimes.

Retailers Show Surprising Strength in August Sales

Is it strength when most retailers delivered results in August that were within 100 Bps of their results in July? Is it strength when retailers benefited in August via more tax-free days and earlier BTS start dates in California? Is it strength when most retailers reported average unit retail (AUR) declines that imply a heavily promotional environment? Are the top-line results in August a mirage?

Burger King Agrees to 3G Capital Offer

While the chain continues to get trounced here in the U.S., 3G pays a 46% premium in a highly leveraged transaction for growth in Latin America? How do you say “sucker” in Spanish?

EEOC Files Charge Against A&F Over Hijab

The store manager wrote a note on the application (“not Abercrombie look”) during the job interview. The applicant could not have received a more glowing appraisal!