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Article: HARTMARX TO UP LUXURY FOCUS.
- Article from:
- Daily News Record
- Article date:
- April 21, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Conde Nast Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Deb Pahl
CHICAGO - Hartmarx CEO Homi Patel doesn't mince words.
"We're going through one of the strangest and most destructive times," he told shareholders at the annual meeting at The Chicago Club here last week. "You can't pick up a paper without reading about how bad retail sales are right now."
Part of Hartmarx's answer is to beef up the concentration on its luxury division, which now accounts for about 30 percent of sales, and phase out moderates, which has shrunk by 16 percent. Hart Schaffner Marx, previously known as a better-to-bridge line, has been updated and folded into the luxury group while licensing agreements with moderate ...