“He has passed away,” said a spokeswoman for Gucci Group, part of Paris’s retail-to-luxury group PPR SA. Mr. McQueen’s body was found at his London home Thursday morning, according to Samantha Garrett, a spokeswoman for the British fashion icon.

Little was immediately known about the circumstances surrounding his death, which came as the fashion elite gathered in New York for the start of fashion week, but police said it wasn’t being treated as suspicious.

Recently posted comments on his Twitter page showed signs of anguish over the Feb. 2 death of his mother. He said he wanted his mother to rest in peace, adding “but life must go on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The British designer’s death also comes three years after the suicide of fashion guru Isabella Blow, who helped launch Mr. McQueen’s career.

Mr. McQueen was the creative chief behind the brand he founded in the 1990s and sold to Gucci Group in 2000. His dramatic designs, such as reptilian dresses and hoof-like shoes, were met with critical acclaim–he was named British Fashion Designer of the Year on four separate occasions. Yet he struggled to get cheap earrings success.

“He’s such an amazing talent. It’s hard to put into words. That’s a gigantic loss to the fashion world,” said Simon Doonan, creative director at Barneys New York, which carries the Alexander McQueen brand. “His shows were just so extraordinary and such amazing hire-wire acts of creative tension it sort of raised the bar on what people perceived as a fashion show.”

Mr. McQueen, who was also once the designer for French fashion house Givenchy, was due to present his collection during Paris fashion week in less than a month. A presentation of his secondary label, McQ, had been scheduled for Thursday’s opening day of New York fashion week. Mr. McQueen had never been expected at the show, which was quickly canceled.

News of the designer’s death sent shock waves through the fashion industry, casting a pall over New York fashion week. “I think everybody is absolutely devastated and shocked,” said Linda Fargo, women’s fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman. “Life churns on, but you feel it here [at the tents]. Everybody’s feeling not good this morning.”

Fashion designer Richard Chai, who learned of the news as he was preparing for his 11 a.m. show at Bryant Park, called Mr. McQueen’s death a tragedy. “He was a genius. I really have no words. It is just sad,” he said.

Known for his dramatic statement pieces and impeccable tailoring, Mr. McQueen helped raise the profile of British fashion and was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 when she made him a Commander of the British Empire for his fashion leadership.

The designer received his training at London’s Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design, cheap jewelry recognized for its fashion-forward approach and encouragement of young designers. He worked for traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Sheppard, and Gieves and Hawkes before branching out into his own more theatrical designs.

“He was 16 when he came here,” said John Hitchcock of Anderson and Sheppard. “He was a boy from Essex, he wanted to learn tailoring. He was a little bit different–he was very ambitious.”

The Associated Press and Ray A. Smith contributed to this article.

The Thursday, October 9th sale of the Volunteer Guild of RUNNELLS tiffany Hospital of Union County will feature sterling silver and fashion costume jewelry from Jewels N’ More. Make your selections from pins, earrings, bracelets, anklets, necklaces and rings that will be on sale in the facility’s multi-purpose room, 40 Watchung Way, Berkeley Heights. Sale hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All major credit cards accepted.

“All sales are open to the public,” said Union County Freeholder Chester Holmes, liaison to RUNNELLS SpecializedHospital. “A percentage of each purchase made at these sales is credited to the Volunteer Guild. They use all funds raised to enrich the lives of residents and patients by obtaining items that may include cheap bangles, DVD players/VCR’s and prizes for their bingo games as well as paying for a variety of entertainment throughout the year. The Guild, which makes vendor sales possible, also sponsors a holiday party/gift distribution and a summer ice cream social in cooperation with the Berkeley Heights Lions Club.”

The Volunteer Guild and the Office of Volunteer Services of RUNNELLS Specialized Hospital are always interested in recruiting volunteers. Flexible hours and a variety of opportunities exist with resident contact as well as performing other tasks. Anyone who would like further information should call the Office of Volunteer Services at 908-771-5847.

Contact: M. ‘Peggy’ Salisbury, 908/771-5730; cheap bracelets T. Sheld, 908/771-5815.

M. ‘Peggy’ Salisbury, 908/771-5730; Norma T. Sheld, 908/771-5815.

“The implementation of VendorNet StoreNet Manager is part of Jones Apparel Group’s overall strategy to fulfill sales on our e-commerce platform by optimizing our current inventory to meet online demand and deliver best-in-class customer service,” stated Ron Offir, President of E-commerce for Jones Apparel Group. “We are very excited about our partnership with VendorNet. Its technology is helping us improve service to our customers by showing web shoppers inventory across all channels and capturing demand that may otherwise have been a lost opportunity.”

Jones Apparel Group rolled out VendorNet StoreNet Manager to its Nine West (www.ninewest.com) stores in a six week period this summer. It expects to have more than 500 stores across all its brands live by the end of 2008, including its newly e-commerce enabled Jones New York (www.jny.com) website.

VendorNet StoreNet Manager interfaces with Jones Apparel Group’s order management, e-bangles, and retail merchandising systems. Online orders that cannot be fulfilled from warehouse inventory are electronically transmitted to VendorNet StoreNet Manager, which routes the order to the best available store for fulfillment based on Jones-defined store allocation rules. Store personnel access the orders complete with pick list, packing slip, and shipping label through a VendorNet-enabled web portal. Store personnel pick the items, and confirm the picked quantities in VendorNet StoreNet Manager. This triggers printing of the packing slips with UPS shipping labels, and ultimately the transmission of shipping manifests to UPS notifying the carrier that packages are staged for pickup. In the event a store is unable to fulfill all items/orders, the whole or partial order is automatically allocated to the next best available store.

Upon receipt of the shipment by UPS, VendorNet StoreNet Manager obtains pick-up scans confirming carrier possession, and sends a ship transaction including tracking number back to Jones’ host order management system triggering a charge to the consumer’s credit card. Each night, VendorNet StoreNet Manager obtains updated store inventory counts from Jones’ retail inventory management system, and transmits the aggregate item inventory counts across all stores and the warehouse to Jones’ e-commerce system.

“As a result of our partnership with Jones Apparel Group we have created a new, innovative product for the retail marketplace that seizes new e-commerce sales opportunities without adding personnel or inventory overhead to the supply chain,” said Sharon Gardner, President of VendorNet. “VendorNet StoreNet Manager is based on VendorNet’s core supply chain management platform that facilitates order fulfillment for retailers with tens of thousands of their suppliers via the Internet. We were able to extend this proven technology foundation to retail stores to create a product that bolsters e-commerce sales and delivers efficiencies in personnel and inventory utilization.”

The corporate-wide view of inventory provided by VendorNet StoreNet Manager allows Jones to sell down products and also keep styles live online through their entire life cycle across all its sales channels regardless of how the order is being fulfilled. Other benefits include the ability to prioritize stores, and dynamically take stores in and out of the program. By not treating every store equally, Jones can take advantage of pockets of inventory or leverage stores that may have less foot traffic giving store personnel more availability to fulfill online tiffany sale. According to Offir, the adoption of VendorNet StoreNet Manager has gone smoothly with Jones’ store personnel willingly embracing the software for its user friendly interface and ease-of-use.

“This all began with our vision to capture lost e-commerce sales and demand by leveraging in-store inventory for direct to the consumer fulfillment,” commented Offir. “Our vision led us to VendorNet and the creation of VendorNet StoreNet Manager. VendorNet is an excellent partner, highly responsive, and incredibly knowledgeable about the direct-to-consumer industry, Internet-based technologies, and their partnership with our shipping carrier, UPS. We also appreciate VendorNet’s willingness to embrace our vision and help us expand on it. It’s nice to work with a company that has the creativity to develop and implement what we collectively believed was going to be a big idea. VendorNet truly leveraged its technology and know-how to turn our innovative approach to growing our web business into a robust, easy-to-use reality.”

About VendorNet

VendorNet delivers web-based supply chain management solutions to multi-channel retailers enabling real-time collaboration with third-party suppliers and all corporate fulfillment channels including stores. Its flagship product, VendorNet Commerce Suite establishes a powerful foundation for solutions that dramatically improve supply chain processes, reduce costs, increase sales, and strengthen cross-channel inventory collaboration. VendorNet’s client base includes leading retail, catalog, and e-commerce companies such as Neiman Marcus, David’s Bridal, Guitar Center, Spiegel, Gump’s, Norm Thompson, The Swiss Colony, FrontGate, Kraft, Home Decorator’s Collection, Orvis, and Lands’ End. For more information on VendorNet, visit http://vendornet.com.

About Jones Apparel Group, Inc.

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (NYSE:JNY), http://www.jonesapparel.com, is a leading designer, marketer and wholesaler of branded apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company also markets directly to consumers through its chain of specialty retail and value-based stores. The Company’s nationally recognized brands include bracelets New York, Nine West, Anne Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, Kasper, Bandolino, Easy Spirit, Evan-Picone, l.e.i., Energie, Enzo Angiolini, Joan & David, Mootsies Tootsies, Sam & Libby, Napier, Judith Jack, Albert Nipon and Le Suit. The Company also markets costume jewelry under the Givenchy brand licensed from Givenchy Corporation, footwear under the Dockers Women brand licensed from Levi Strauss & Co and apparel under the Rachel Roy brand licensed from Rachel Roy IP Company, LLC. Each brand is differentiated by its own distinctive styling, pricing strategy, distribution channel, and target consumer. The Company contracts for the manufacture of its products through a worldwide network of quality manufacturers. The Company has capitalized on its nationally known brand names by entering into various licenses for several of its trademarks, including Jones New York, Evan-Picone, Anne Klein New York, Nine West, Gloria Vanderbilt and l.e.i., with select manufacturers of women’s and men’s products which the Company does not manufacture. For more than 30 years, the Company has built a reputation for excellence in product quality and value, and in operational execution.

Farb comes to Simparel with more than 25 years of sales and marketing experience in the advanced technology sector and fashion industry, including serving as CEO of The Edge, a manufacturer of contemporary casual clothing. His experience includes launching new products and creating innovative programs that penetrate new markets. His most recent focus targeted executing product development management and life cycle management initiatives that deliver speed to market to global supply chain organizations.

Mr. Farb reports to Ron Grilli, CEO, and is based in Simparel’s new corporate facilities in New York. Mr. Grilli says: “Richard brings extensive knowledge and experience to our sales and marketing initiatives, and more importantly, he truly understands the needs and challenges of the fashion industry. He easily relates to our target customer’s business needs since he was an owner/operator of a fashion business himself. We are pleased that Richard is now part of the management team of our rapidly growing organization.”

Mr. Farb adds: “I am thrilled to be part of this exciting new venture. Every decade or so a new technology emerges that changes our industry. Simparel is that new technology. Complex fashion-related businesses can now manage their enterprise in a fast, flexible and affordable way.”

About Simparel, Inc.

Simparel, Inc. has developed a new generation enterprise solution that delivers the unique combination of discount tiffany the simplest, quickest and most affordable global supply chain business solution available today. Simparel’s initial market is fashion-related businesses, including apparel, footwear, accessories, costume jewelry, home furnishings and toys. The Simparel solution is so adaptable that it can expand beyond the apparel and fashion-related businesses into numerous other industries that are characterized by quick market response to ever-changing consumer demands. Established in 2007, Simparel has its corporate offices in New York.

The Seattle-based retailer said Thursday sales at tiffany sale open at least a year declined 10.6 percent for the five weeks that ended Jan. 3.

Nordstrom also said that because of “higher than expected” pressure to mark down prices, it does not think it will meet its outlook for a fourth-quarter profit of 35 cents to 45 cents a share.

If there’s a bright spot, it’s that Nordstrom beat the 13 percent decline in same-store sales that analysts polled by Thomson Reuters predicted.

Even so, shares of its stock closed down 35 cents, or 2.4 percent, at $14.53 Thursday.

Nordstrom reported preliminary total sales of $1.13 billion for the five weeks, representing an 8 percent decrease from a year ago.

The company said it continues to adjust its inventory levels and Tiffany Bracelets them to be “more aligned with current sales trends” by the end of its fiscal year on Jan. 31.

Also, Nordstrom generally is not filling open positions for headquarters jobs downtown, and it is laying off some salespeople in stores, said spokeswoman Brooke White.

The 2008 holiday-shopping season proved difficult for virtually all retailers. December same-store sales declined 4 percent at Macy’s, 19.8 percent at Saks, and 8.1 percent at J.C. Penney.

Even Wal-Mart posted a smaller sales gain than Wall Street expected and cut its earnings outlook for the fourth quarter.

The nationwide picture was bleak: Same-store sales for November and December combined were 2.2 percent — the weakest holiday shopping season since the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs started the index in 1969. For all of 2008, sales rose just 1 percent, the weakest in at least 38 years.

“The blanket that has covered the North American consumer that has kept them from spending is heavier than expected,” said Dean Hillier, partner in the retail practice of consulting firm A.T. Kearney.

The malaise was widespread — kitchen gadgets to jewelry to clothes. Several stores such as Toys R Us and Macy’s said business improved in the last weeks of December as shoppers pounced on the best deals, but people still cut back overall.

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, benefited last year as shoppers focused on necessities and switched to cheaper stores, but analysts say its disappointing December performance may signal that shoppers are pulling back even more. December sales were up 1.2 percent including fuel sales and rose 1.7 percent without. Wall Street was expecting 2.8 percent excluding fuel.

Ken Perkins, president of research company RetailMetrics, expects Wal-Mart to cut prices even further, fueling price wars. That’s good news for shoppers.

Rival store Target, which had been stumbling because it depends more on discount tiffany items like trendy clothes, said its same-store sales dropped less than expected. Target cut prices to gain market share and clear out inventories, but it says those moves will hurt its fourth-quarter profit.

Macy’s cut its full-year earnings outlook because of heavy markdowns and said it plans to close 11 stores, though none in Washington. Its same-store sales were down 4 percent in December, and more than 7 percent for November and December combined.

High-end stores fared far worse. Saks posted a decline of almost 20 percent, while Neiman Marcus Group was down more than 27 percent.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this tiffany pendant.

Actual results may be materially different based on risk factors included in our quarterly and annual reports filed with the SEC.

Total sales for the four weeks ended August 29, 2009 decreased 4% to $307.7 million compared to $320 million for the four weeks ended August 30, 2008. Consolidated comparable store sales decreased 7% compared to a 5% decrease for the same period last year. August sales performance was consistent with our expectations.

AE brand comparable store sales showed improvement from the first half of the year, driven by better results in the women’s business. Overall, AE women’s posted negative mid single digit comps and men’s declined in the high single digits. Women’s jeans were among the best-performing categories, along with dresses, jewelry, men’s graphics, and men’s and women’s woven shirts.

AEO direct sales increased in the low single digits in the month of August. Our online business was discount tiffany affected by a later Labor Day and extended back-to-school shopping period.

This week, the AE fall assortment arrived in stores and online, providing newness for the holiday weekend and late peak back-to-school shopping season.

Now regarding earnings, we continue to expect third-quarter earnings $0.22 to $0.25 per share, which includes a tax benefit of approximately $0.05. This guidance excludes the possibility of additional impairments or losses related to investment securities. This compares to third-quarter EPS of $0.30 last year.

Thank you for your continued interest in American Eagle Outfitters.

[Thomson Financial reserves the right to make changes to documents, content, or other information on this web site without obligation to notify any person of such changes.

In the conference calls upon which Event Transcripts are based, companies may make projections or other forward-looking statements regarding a variety of items. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those stated in any forward-looking statement based on a number of important factors and risks, which are more specifically identified in the companies’ most recent SEC filings. Although the companies may indicate and believe that the Return to Tiffany heart tag Charm and bracelet underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove inaccurate or incorrect and, therefore, there can be no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking statements will be realized.

Mr. Pautz has 25 years’ sales and marketing experience in the industry where he has worked with manufacturers and large retailers. Most recently, Mr. Pautz was employed as Vice President – U.S. Sales by KTL, a Hong Kong-based jewelry manufacturer with operations in China. During his six-year tenure with the firm, Mr. Pautz grew sales in the United States ten-fold. Prior to this, Mr. Pautz was Vice President, Sales and Marketing with a U.S.-based jewelry manufacturer where he tripled sales in less than three years. Mr. Pautz earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Minnesota.

George R. Cattermole, Chairman of the Board and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Charles & Colvard commented, “Charles & Colvard is in a pivotal period as we solidify our sales and marketing strategies. We believe Tom’s past successes as well as his extensive industry knowledge will Return to Tiffany heart tag Charm and bracelet to the successful execution of our strategic direction going forward. We are very excited to have someone of Tom’s caliber join us in the next phase of our evolution.”

About Charles & Colvard, Ltd.

Charles & Colvard, Ltd. (NASDAQ: CTHR), based in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina, is the global sole source of lab-created moissanite, a unique, near-colorless jewel that is distinct from other gemstones and jewels based on its exceptional fire, brilliance, luster, durability, and rarity. Charles & Colvard Created Moissanite is currently used in fine jewelry sold primarily through domestic and international retailers. For more information, please access www.moissanite.com or www.charlesandcolvard.com.

Charles & Colvard and Charles & Colvard Created Moissanite are registered trademarks of Charles & Heart tag charm Toggle bracelet, Ltd.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Statements expressing expectations regarding our future and projections relating to products, sales, revenues, and earnings are typical of such statements and are made under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, representations, and contentions and are not historical facts and typically are identified by use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “continue,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently.

All forward-looking statements are subject to the risks and uncertainties inherent in predicting the future. You should be aware that although the forward-looking statements included herein represent management’s current judgment and expectations, our actual results may differ materially from those projected, stated, or implied in Return to Tiffany Heart tag ring forward-looking statements as a result of many factors including, but not limited to, the recent downturn in the worldwide economy and its ongoing impact on our business and the business of our customers and suppliers, any continued trends in the general economy that would adversely affect consumer spending, a further decline in our sales, dependence on consumer acceptance of our products, dependence on Cree, Inc. as the current supplier of most of the raw material, ability to develop a material second source of supply, dependence on a limited number of customers, risks of conducting operations in foreign countries, dependence on third parties for the sales and marketing of our products to end consumers, continued listing of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, and the impact of significant changes in our management on our ability to execute our business strategy in the near-term, in addition to the other risks and uncertainties described in more detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur except as required by the federal securities laws, and you are urged to review and consider disclosures that we make in the reports that we file with the SEC, that discuss other factors relevant to our business.

HauteLook will host double the number of Cyber Monday sale events the site hosted in 2008, with nine sale tiffany bracelet happening throughout the day. Members searching for discounts on toys and kids’ apparel can log on to the site anytime before 11:00 a.m. EST to find bargains on HaPe toys and Mulberribush kids’ leisurewear. At 11:00 a.m. EST, new sale events will start with brands including William Rast, Rachel Pally, Charriol fine jewelry, Evis MD skincare and Breville. There will be gifts for everyone on the holiday gift list: cozy Rachel Pally sweaters and dresses, ideal for holiday parties; innovative Breville kitchen appliances, including a new slow cooker available for $139.99; luxury skincare products, diamonds, denim, designer handbags and more.

Instead of searching for discounts on the latest and greatest products on Black Friday in crowded stores or visiting retailers’ Web sites on Cyber Monday looking through thousands of products, consumers can find an edited collection of the hottest brands on HauteLook, all up to 75 percent off, from the convenience of their desk or home office.

In addition to saving members money, HauteLook helps members discover new and up-and-coming tiffany pendant and designers. From the homepage, members can see all the sale events that are coming up throughout the week, watch videos and the brands that will be offered, and plan their holiday shopping accordingly.

“Our unique mix of deeply discounted premium brands in the fashion, kids, home and beauty categories will differentiate us from our competitors on Cyber Monday and throughout the holiday season,” says HauteLook CEO Adam Bernhard. “HauteLook is a one-stop-shop for stocking up on great gifts at great prices and a savvy shopper’s paradise year-round.”

The deals will continue the week following Cyber Monday with sale events on Rock & Republic apparel for men and women (12/2), women’s fashions from Meghan Fabulous (12/3), Taschen books (12/2), Peter Thomas Roth skin care (12/1), and Mimi & Maggie clothing for girls (12/4), as well as daily sale events with fine jewelry brands, including Lauren K (12/2) and Zoe Chicco (12/3). One standout gift, a Lauren K diamond deco pendant necklace, which usually retails for $2410, will be offered on HauteLook for under $1000.

Since launching in 2007, HauteLook has brought the thrill back to shopping through exclusive, limited time sale events. In two years, the site has partnered with over 600 brands on more than 1,200 sale events. Members enjoy amazing access to premium fashion brands, boutique home labels, beauty and skincare products, kids apparel and accessories from BCBG, M Missoni, Stila and Waterford at discounts of 50 to 75 percent every day. The site is free to join and open to everyone. From the HauteLook home page, potential members simply register and tiffany ring a password – and let the shopping begin!

To shop, visit HauteLook.com.

About HauteLook:

Launched in December 2007, HauteLook is a premier online retailer offering private, limited time sale events on the world’s premium fashion and lifestyle brands. HauteLook offers discounts of 50 to 75 percent off every day on great brands for women, men, kids, home, and beauty.

Spending at stores and on Web sites from Nov. 26 to Nov. 29 rose 0.5% to an charm bracelet $41.2 billion from $41 billion a year earlier, the Washington-based trade group said Nov. 29, citing a survey conducted by polling firm BIGresearch. The higher turnout and lower average spending were in line with expectations, the NRF said. The group is sticking to a forecast for a 1% drop in spending this holiday season.

Price cuts on small appliances, toys, and winter clothes helped bring shoppers into chains including Macy’s (M), J.C. Penney (JCP), and Wal-Mart Stores (WMT). On so-called Cyber Monday, 96.5 million people plan to shop on the Internet to take advantage of limited-time offers and free shipping, according to the NRF. That would be a 14% increase from 2008.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done by the retailers,” said Adrienne Tennant, a retail analyst at FBR Capital Markets (FBCM) in Arlington, Va. “Value is number one.”

Thirteen percent more shoppers visited at least one department store this year, the NRF said. Internet spending on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, rose 11% from a year ago, to $595 million, ComScore (SCOR), a Reston [Va.]-based research firm, said Sunday in a statement.

Cyber Offers

Target (TGT), the second-biggest U.S. discount chain after Bentonville [Ark.]-based Wal-Mart, for the first time this year advertised an online-only sale on Thanksgiving. J.C. Penney, the third-largest U.S. department-store company, started Cyber Monday specials a day earlier this year.

Amazon.com (AMZN), based in Seattle, is the largest online retailer and plans a series of “frank gehry deals” for limited time periods on Nov. 30.

The average shopper spent $343.31 in stores and online over the holiday weekend, less than $372.57 a year ago, the NRF said. The number of shoppers rose to 195 million from 172 million a year earlier, according to the NRF. The group is the world’s largest trade association, according to its Web site.

“Shoppers proved this weekend that they were willing to open their wallets for a bargain,” said Tracy Mullin, NRF’s president and chief executive officer, in a statement. “While retailers are encouraged by the number of Americans who shopped over Black Friday weekend, they know they have their work cut out for them to keep people coming back through Christmas.”

More Discounts

Average spending declined as prices for flat-screen televisions dropped and retailers offered a greater number of items at unprofitable prices to lure shoppers, Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the NRF, said on a Sunday conference call.

Vee Weaver, a certified nurse’s aide from Atlanta, bought a set of knives, a red shirt, and a purse at Macy’s and J.C. Penney after she was persuaded by a friend to shop on Black Friday.

“I have a job and I’ve saved all year,” Weaver, 65, said at The Shops at Wiregrass, an outdoor shopping mall near Tampa, Fla. The black leather purse she got was $14.97 marked down from $59.98. “I had to jump up and down and blink,” she said.

On Black Friday, Richfield [Minn.)-based Best Buy (BBY), the biggest electronics chain, had bigger early-morning crowds and more online visitors than last year, said CEO Brian Dunn. “Those are both directionally important indicators for us,” he said in a Nov. 27 Bloomberg Television interview. Best Buy rose 77%, or 1.8%, to 43.60 at 10:18 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

$300 Laptops

Holiday sales make up a third or more of retailers’ annual profit. The International Council of Shopping Centers, another industry trade group, predicted sales at stores open at least a year will advance 1% in November and December after a year-earlier 5.8% decline, the worst in 40 years.

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, attracted consumers with $298 Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) laptop computers and other specials that went on sale at 5 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. The stock declined 13% to 54.50 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Renee McDonald, 40, started waiting at 5 a.m. outside a Wal-Mart in Houston, hoping to purchase a television. When the store ran out, she bought a digital camera instead.

Black Friday shopping at J.C. Penney stores was strong throughout the U.S., the Plano [Tex.)-based retailer said in an e-mailed statement on Nov. 28. J.C. Penney and other retailers plan to report November sales on Dec. 3. The retailer fell 44% to 29.06 on the New York Stock Exchange.

At the Macy’s in New York’s Herald Square, shopper traffic appeared greater than a year ago, and tiffany bracelets to flow in after the initial rush, Chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren said. Jewelry and housewares were selling “briskly,” he said. Macy’s, based in Cincinnati, dropped 44% to 16.53 on the New York Stock Exchange.

“Last year we were just getting rid of the inventory we bought six months before,” Lundgren said. “This year we’ve had a year to think through what is the sales trend.”

“The secured lenders needed the sale finished in fewer than 10 days,” noted Stevan Buxbaum, Executive Vice President of Agoura Hills, Calif.-based Buxbaum Group, one of North America’s largest liquidators and appraisers of retail and wholesale inventories. “The deadline was Dec. 31st, and we were finished with the sale by the 23rd.”

Demand for closeout merchandise continues to be strong among secondary-market buyers, who then resell these pieces to jewelry retailers looking to boost their margins by diversifying their offerings, Buxbaum explained. “We knew exactly which buyers would be most interested in this particular inventory and, sure enough, they responded quickly to this sale,” he said.

In the private treaty sale, New York-based Surya Capital acquired the inventory of Shine Diam, Inc. and J Designs By Shine, Inc. The two bulk lots included more than $1.5 million in diamonds, colored stones, finished jewelry and approximately 17,000 grams of 14-karat gold. All told, the hundreds of rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings, bracelets and bangles added up to more than 2,500 carats of diamonds, 11,000 carats of loose gems and 15,000 grams of 14k white and yellow gold pieces, all with stones.

“The secured lenders were quite happy with the recovery, which followed our recent successful sales of jewelry tiffany on sale from retailers and manufacturers such as Henrick’s Jewelers and House of Taylor,” Buxbaum said. “Like the rest of retail, the jewelry industry is looking for value, and closeout merchandise offers an excellent opportunity for chains to diversify their offerings at low cost.”

The current interest in gold as a repository of value also contributed to the success of this sale, Buxbaum added. “With the price of gold at approximately $1,100 an ounce, that certainly set a good baseline value for much of this inventory,” he said.

About Buxbaum Jewelry Advisors/Buxbaum Group

Buxbaum Jewelry Advisors has assembled a team of jewelry professionals that have provided wholesale and retail jewelers with financial solutions for more than 20 years. It offers a wide range of services and can meet the needs of both financially distressed and profitable jewelry retailers and wholesalers. It is a division of tiffany sale Hills, Calif.-based Buxbaum Group, which has built its reputation for over 30 years as one of the largest liquidators and appraisers of retail and wholesale inventories across North America.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.