Tribal - California Apparel News

It’s back to the drawing board for a plan to let Mexican
trucks bring long-haul cargo into the United States.
The U.S. Department of Transportation released a “concept”
document on Jan. 6 that would gradually lead to the
U.S. border being opened to Mexican long-haul trucks.
A one-year pilot program to allow 100 Mexican trucking
companies to bring in cargo beyond 20 miles from
the U.S. border was launched in 2007. But it was shelved
when Congress closed down the program in early 2009.
Mexico than instituted a number of tariffs on $2.5 billion
of U.S. exports in retaliation.
The decision to allow Mexican long-haul trucks into the
United States and U.S. long-haul truckers into Mexico was
originally agreed upon in the North American Free Trade
Agreement, which went into effect in 1994. That bilateral
exchange of trucks was to be implemented by 2000. But
6 CALIFORNIA APPAREL NEWS January 14–20, 2011
NEWS
Mexican Truckers Could Get the Green
Light to Enter the United States
concerns related to poor emissions in Mexican trucks and
their safety delayed the program.
It would help U.S. apparel companies producing garments
in Mexico. Many Los Angeles blue-jeans makers
do part of their production south of the border and use
Mexican-made denim for their clothing.
The concept program foresees that a safety audit would
be conducted on each carrier’s safety-management program.
Drivers’ records would be reviewed, and each vehicle
would be inspected for safety and emissions. Evidence
of vehicle insurance would have to be submitted to
the Department of Transportation.
In addition, a Mexican carrier’s vehicle and driver
would have to be inspected, for an agreed-upon amount of
time, every time they enter the United States.
—Deborah Belgum
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Athleta Flagship
Opens in S.F.
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Gap Inc. opened a flagship store for its Athleta division in San
Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood on Jan. 13. The 5,000-squarefoot
outlet will offer clothes for a full range of sports activities such
as yoga, running, golf, paddleboarding and gym workouts.
Athleta started business as an online venture in 1998. Ten years
later, Gap purchased the Petaluma, Calif.–based women’s athletic
wear label and retailer for $150 million. Gap opened a smaller Athleta
shop in Mill Valley, Calif., in 2010. However, the San Francisco
Athleta store, located at 2226 Fillmore St., is considered the
brand’s formal bricks-and-mortar debut.
“This store opening launches the next phase of our multi-channel
growth plan for the Athleta brand,” said Toby Link, president
of Gap Inc. Direct, the division that handles the Athleta brand. A
Gap representative said there were no plans to open more stores.
“We’re going to see how customers respond to this new store,” said
Gap’s Callie Canfield.
Gap Inc. does not break out sales results for Athleta. However,
the company recently reported
that same-store sales in December
declined 3 percent compared
with December 2009, when Gap
reported a same-store increase of
2 percent.—Andrew Asch
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Anchor Blue
to Liquidate
117 Stores
Anchor Blue announced it
would be shuttering all 117 of its
stores following news that the company
was declaring bankruptcy.
Liquidation sales started
Jan. 7 and will continue until all
merchandise is gone. Gordon
Brothers Group and Hilco Merchant
Resources, both finance and
liquidation specialists companies,
announced Jan. 14 they will be
handling the going-out-of-business
sales for the Corona, Calif.–based
retailer’s stores, with 84 located in
California.
All store merchandise will be
marked down 40 percent to 60 percent.
The stores’ fixtures also will
be sold. Anchor Blue store sales
will run as long as necessary, but
liquidators listed Jan. 21 as a tentative
deadline. Anchor Blue will
honor gift cards and returns until
Jan. 21.
News of the retailer’s demise
trickled through the grapevine a
few weeks ago. Employees started
posting comments on the company’s
Facebook page, and on Jan. 4
they received word through e-mails
and a conference call that the end
was near.
The company had a long heritage
in California. It started business in
the mid-1970s as Miller’s Surplus
and then Miller’s Outpost.
In 1981, the company created its
own brand, Anchor Blue. In 2009
it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy
and later emerged from bankruptcy
that year, with private-investment
firm Sun Capital Partners being
the principal owner.
Thomas Sands, Anchor Blue’s
then-chief executive, blamed the
bankruptcy on the poor economy.
“The unprecedented downturn and a
related drop in consumer spending,
especially in the teen-age market,
had a severe impact on our financial
performance,” he said in a company
statement.—A.A.