Retail
Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc.
Eddie Bauer the man climbed mountains, played tennis, invented the quilted down jacket, and built a reputation for quality in his outdoorsy goods. Unfortunately, his namesake brand has floundered in recent years, especially under the ownership of erstwhile catalog giant Spiegel. New CEO Neil Fiske, who won kudos for his turnaround of the Bath & Body Works unit of Limited Brands, has his hands full trying to revive the appeal of Eddie Bauer's clothes, which many retail analysts -- and, worse, shoppers -- regard as overpriced and under styled. Fiske's focus is on improving the style and pricing of the company's outerwear for thirty- to fifty something customers. In particular, he wants to reverse a trend that has seen the Eddie Bauer brand slip among male consumers.
American Apparel, Inc.
How big can a company get and still retain its outsider chic? That's the ongoing (happy) dilemma of American Apparel, purveyor of California-made T-shirts and other basic garments for the young, the hip, and those who wish they were. The company's expansion efforts benefit from the cash infusion accompanying its recent purchase by Endeavor Acquisition Corporation. If all goes according to plan, American Apparel will quintuple its retail presence from around 150 stores to 800 or more. The company is also trying to build on its hipster aesthetic with the launch of a new chain of vintage clothing shops called California Vintage. Even after the Endeavor deal, iconoclastic company founder Dov Charney still holds a majority stake in American Apparel.
Visa, Inc.
For retailers, there are plenty of doubts swirling around the 2007 holiday shopping season. But while some segments look glum, Visa is poised for success even if consumer sentiment is less than merry and bright. Visa, which operates the world's largest consumer payment system, has filed for a mammoth IPO that should reach the market sometime in early 2008. The proposed offering could raise as much as $10 billion, which would make it one of the largest IPOs ever -- much larger than MasterCard's 2006 offering ($2.4 billion) or 2007's blockbuster Blackstone offering ($4 billion). While the IPO market has softened since Blackstone debuted, Visa's global reach and brand power could make for a "Google-class" IPO -- one that creates its own demand even if the IPO market's general outlook is less than merry and bright. See complete analysis here.