Home Textiles Today - March 1, 2004

WestPoint Stevens is still on track to emerge from bankruptcy some time during the second quarter, but it may not be as a public company if CEO "Chip" Fontenot gets his way. For the first time publicly, Fontenot suggested last week that WestPoint, like Springs Industries before it, might withdraw from the public gaze and the tiresome, costly ritual of opening its books to shar...

• Business Today
• Retailers celebrate President's Day
• High expenses lead to bad year at Kohl's
• Home Depot profits near 40 percent
• Lowe's has strong fourth quarter
• JCPenney battles back with fourth quarter gain
• Confidence sags amid job worries
• Hancock profits slide 14 percent
• Federated profits jump 35 percent
• TJX blows out fourth quarter

• Fabrics Today
• Technology could help curb counterfeiting
• Hoffman enters bedding, McNeil to lead
• Swatch
• Fabrics industry gets a little more fragrant

• News
• Sears begins new brand-based strategy
• Britannica Home signs Bill Blass
• FIT to honor executives during New York market
• Sunham gearing up for growth
• Still a future for WPS and Lauren duo
• Retail briefs
• Raymond Waites takes new space
• YFM hires Taylor as VP
• Caesarea unveils HydroMagic
• Kohl's thinking less is more
• Surtex conference coming to N.Y.
• Evteks opens show to all
• Federated predicts textiles growth
• Vipac opens Pakistan office

• Opinion Today
• Skipping the middleman
• And the winner is ...