Credit Suisse Research analysts Christian Buss and Bilun Boyner published a report titled “US Apparel / Footwear / Specialty Softlines: What Worked This Holiday Season?” on January 05, 2012. The report isn’t available online but we will discuss its findings. The analysts have gathered recent commentaries on key demand trends this Holiday season from various retailers, and have published the resulting analysis. According to the analysts, women’s accessories and handbags witnessed the strongest demand pattern. The demand for footwear stayed on the higher side, while warm winters hit the cold weather merchandise demand.
Coach Inc. (COH) has been given an Outperform rating by the Credit Suisse (CS), with a target price of $69 per share. Given its relative strength across the accessories and handbag business, the December trend is expected to bode well for the company. Last year handbags accounted for 63% of the company’s topline; 27% was contributed by accessories and the rest was contributed by footwear, jewelry and sun-wear. Moreover, as per the analysts’ channel checks, Coach kept less than 15% of its inventory at departmental stores on discounted prices. In addition, due to a 30% off promotion, Coach witnessed a strong traffic at certain stores, resulting in long queues on the day after Christmas. For more details about the top footwear and apparel stocks, you may go to Insider Monkey's site.
