Investopedia: Nordstrom Shows That Even The Best Can Struggle A Bit

It's hard to find new positive things to say about Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN). This high-end retailer has long stood out from the crowd with its sharp-eyed merchandising, high inventory turns, flexible operating model, and above-average returns on capital. Couple that with a still-growing Rack store concept and e-commerce opportunities, and it's hard to ever get too negative on this company. On the other hand, Nordstrom's excellence has been well-known for years and this second quarter shows that even well-run retailers can struggle to make headway in the face of a tougher consumer spending environment.

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Investopedia: Oxford Industries Experiences Some Growing Pains

Change can be painful, and while Oxford Industries' (NYSE:OXM) move to a more proprietary and aspirational product assortment has produced solid gains for long-term shareholders, there has been a lot of volatility along the way (shares went from over $50 in 2007 to below $5 in 2009). Oxford's third quarter is perhaps a microcosm of some of those challenges - top-tier brands like Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer continue to grow well, but the Ben Sherman and legacy Lanier businesses are struggling and it's taking a lot of money to support the company's hybrid direct retail/wholesale model.

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Investopedia: Uniting CK Should Pay Off For PVH Corp

The apparel and footwear sectors have been seeing more than their share of acquisition activity over the past year, as companies look to better leverage supply chains and distribution and better compete with overseas competitors. PVH Corp (NYSE:PVH) is paying a lot to bring Warnaco (NYSE:WRC) into the fold (and further consolidate the Calvin Klein brand), but this deal looks like a relative win-win, where both the acquirer and the acquired are making a smart deal.

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Investopedia: Liz Claiborne Starts Over

Sometimes press releases can understate just what's actually going on. That certainly seems to be the case with Liz Claiborne (NYSE:LIZ). While this well-known women's clothing designer and marketer talked about "transactions" in the headline of its recent release, the reality is that the company largely sold itself and is basically going to cease to exist as Liz Claiborne.

From Distribution to Ownership 

Liz Claiborne and J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP) have had a longstanding relationship, and JCP was already the exclusive license partner for the Liz Claiborne brands. The two companies have taken a big step forward though, as LIZ will be selling the Monet and Liz Claiborne brands to J.C. Penney for $288 million in total cash considerations. LIZ will maintain the international rights for Monet, will continue to supply Liz Claiborne and Monet-branded jewelry to J.C. Penney and will hold a royalty-free license on LCNY and Lizwear, but will otherwise be out of these businesses.

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Investopedia: Oxford Reaping The Rewards Of Transformation

Change just for the sake of change is a often a really bad idea, as is changing up a successful business plan. And yet, it looks as though a major shift in the business plan has been just the ticket for Oxford Industries (NYSE:OXM), as the company seems to be reaping better margins and a better valuation as it has shifted away from its traditional private label apparel manufacturing business. 

A Decent Beginning to the Fiscal Year 

Oxford got its fiscal year off to a solid state. Revenue rose 27% on a reported basis and was more or less in line with the average analyst expectation. Revenue growth was fueled by the inclusion of sales from the Lilly Pulitzer business that Oxford acquired roughly six months ago and was therefore not part of year-ago sales. The inclusion of this revenue was responsible for two-thirds of the company's reported revenue growth, though the Tommy Bahama business was up nearly 13%. Unfortunately, the turnaround in the Ben Sherman business line continues to falter and revenue was down a further 13%.

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