American Apparel

American Apparel CEO Dov Charney was in New York recently and we got a chance to speak to him. We wanted to know what he would do to fix JCPenney.

There are similarities between JCP's situation and AA's. Like JCP now, AA's sales a couple of years ago were in a downward spiral. Like JCP, the company was losing cash and needed a ton of new financing to avoid bankruptcy.

Charney, of course, engineered a turnaround at American Apparel and the company is now profitable and growing topline sales. Notably, he did so without changing or rebranding the company.

American Apparel Inc. reported that comparable sales increased 8 percent, including a 5 percent increase in comparable store sales for its retail store channel and a 26 percent increase in net sales for its online channel. Wholesale net sales decreased 7 percent for the month of March primarily due to one less shipping day in March 2013 than in March 2012.

American Apparel announced that it has closed a private offering of $206 million principal amount of its 13 percent senior secured notes and has entered into a $35 million five-year revolving credit facility with Capital One Bank.

Standpoint Research upgraded American Apparel (NYSE: APP) from Hold to Buy with a price target of $3.50.

Analyst Ronnie Moas comments: "On March 7 I downgraded APP @ $1.88 and locked in a 73% gain on a position we were in for just over six months ... I was concerned we would get a reversal as we did in October when the shares broke down following a similar run. During the last two weeks we did not get that correction and I see this as a bullish sign.

In fall 2012, an Alaskan Native Corporation outbid American Apparel for the Army combat coat (ACU) contract. It meant the loss of jobs and revenue for the USA-based brand. Last week, American Apparel landed a subcontract to create army coats for the next few years. The contract diminishes the amount of coats American Apparel makes every year (50 percent this year, 33 percent next year), but for now, it is keeping the Selma, Ala. factory that is producing the coats afloat and busy.

The first day of spring is March 20. Get ready with the bright, decorated shirts shown at the Imprinted Sportswear Show in Atlantic City.

Stacey Shulman, chief technology officer for American Apparel, will deliver the closing keynote address, "Building an IT Innovation Team," at the upcoming Apparel Tech Conference West, to be held Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at LA Trade Tech College. The conference is produced by Apparel Magazine, and complimentary registration is available to qualified apparel retailers, brands and manufacturers at apparelmag.com.

Shulman is responsible for technology, web and asset protection for American Apparel globally. She has more than two decades of experience in retail-focused technology and is a specialist in international growth and localization.

American Apparel Inc., the Los Angeles-based manufacturer, distributor and retailer of branded fashion-basic apparel, announced financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 2012.

2013 apparel sales are looking good in the United States. Retail chains are reporting their January and beginning of February sales are better than expected. Columbia Sportswear, American Apparel, Gap and other retailers also reported strong sales toward the end of 2012, marking an upswing in retail sales overall. The unexpected surplus in sales has encouraged many apparel retail chains to reevaluate their revenue outlook for the next few months and beyond.

Apparel is the promotional product industry's top-selling category, and T-shirts are a big reason why, but that doesn't mean they're an easy sell. Fortunately, we've got nine tips to give you a leg up on the competition.