Levi Strauss & Co shares fell about 7% in premarket trading on Friday as investors focused on the denim maker’s warning of a tariff-related hit to its fourth-quarter margin, overlooking a higher annual profit forecast.
Levi Strauss
The margin-hit forecast highlights the impact of the Trump administration’s changing trade policies on consumer-facing companies, especially those with suppliers in countries that do not have trade deals with Washington in place yet.
While Levi’s has capitalized on the resurgence of baggy, loose-fit apparel among Gen Z customers and raised its 2025 sales and profit forecasts on Thursday, the company still warned of a 130-basis-point hit to its fourth-quarter gross margins.
The company sources the bulk of its products from South Asia, including Bangladesh, Cambodia and Pakistan – countries that face high tariffs currently.
Wall Street analysts called the forecast “conservative,” with Barclays analysts saying that the lackluster forecast was despite the company not seeing any adverse changes in shopping trends in September.
The stock “move suggests investors left the print disappointed,” Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note, adding that the forecast implies that the holiday-quarter sales “will likely look optically worse on tougher compares.”
Trump’s trade policies have also pressured the margins of other retailers such as Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch and Coach handbag owner Tapestry. However, companies that cater to more affluent customers face less burden as they can pass on the higher costs to the consumer.
Levi’s has secured about 70% of its holiday inventory early and slightly raised prices to mitigate tariff impact and prepare for the holiday quarter, executives said in a post-earnings call.
It has also broadened its product offerings, leaned into full-price sales and kept a tight leash on inventory to offset weaker consumer sentiment and tariff-related pressures.
This has helped the company’s stock to climb about 40% so far this year. Its forward price-to-earnings multiple, a common benchmark for valuing companies, is 16.94, compared with Ralph Lauren’s 20.59, Abercrombie’s 7.48 and American Eagle Outfitters‘ 11.38.
Mappin & Webb has made its return to Birmingham at long last, “marking a new chapter for one of Britain’s most prestigious jewellers”.
Mappin & Webb
It’s taken over two decades but the Watches of Switzerland-owned brand’s return to the city comes with a premium showroom site located beneath the historic Burlington Hotel on New Street.
Just moments from the city’s Jewellery Quarter, the showroom “celebrates the deep connection between the brand’s craftsmanship and Birmingham’s long-standing reputation for creativity and design excellence”.
Following a seven-month refurbishment, the 2,800 sq ft showroom features a “world-class collection of luxury watch and jewellery brands within a refined and immersive environment”.
Key to the interior design is a dedicated hospitality bar, private consultation areas and statement chandelier and architectural detailing, “which pay homage to the building’s historic character”.
In a first for the city, the introduction of an external Rolex clock reinforces the century-long partnership between the brands. Of course, a dedicated Rolex area is located at the heart of the showroom where visitors can explore the full range of collections. This also includes a curated selection of Rolex Certified Pre-owned watches.
Additionally, the showroom features luxury timepieces from brands including IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, TAG Heuer, and Tudor.
The jewellery highlight includes one of America’s “most innovative fine jewellery designers” David Yurman, which is exclusive to the Watches of Switzerland Group. Venetian jeweller Roberto Coin is also present alongside Mappin & Webb’s own fine jewellery collections.
Joining other new-concept Mappin & Webb locations in York, Bluewater, Glasgow and Manchester, the Birmingham showroom “reinforces the Watches of Switzerland Group’s strategic vision to strengthen its city presence while balancing heritage with innovation”.
ASOS’s goal to elevate its menswear offer with more premium labels continues apace. Now you can add four more brands to its “growing roster of globally-recognised and design-led brands”.
ASOS
This now includes Madrid-based streetwear label Pompeii, US denim major True Religion, Scandi brand Double A by Wood Wood, and streetwear brand No Problemo “each bringing a distinct aesthetic to the ASOS menswear mix”.
“Together, these brands represent ASOS’s commitment to offering customers access to quality craftsmanship, directional design, and cultural relevance… the expanded line-up highlights the breadth and depth of ASOS’s menswear range” it said.
Shazmeen Malik, Brands director at ASOS said: “Our recent brand launches mark a shift in how we show up for Menswear, delivering standout style, cultural connection, and more of what our customer wants. With a carefully curated premium streetwear offering, [this] is the place for fashion-forward customers to find bold, relevant, and quality pieces that truly stand out.”
In October, the digital retail giant launched ASOS Collective to not only “sharpen” the fashion retailer’s menswear proposition but “signal a confident pivot: ASOS aiming higher in quality, longevity and design refinement”.
New collections include “next-level essentials… building on wardrobe pillars rather than chasing trends – a move that echoes the retailer’s broader strategy to elevate its in-house labels”.
Swedish streetwear/denim brand Nudie Jeans is to open a UK Repair Shop on Park Street, Bristol, “bringing [our] signature blend of denim, culture, and sustainability to one of [the city’s] most iconic streets”.
Nudie Jeans
Opening Thursday (11 December) and becoming its third alongside existing stores in London and Manchester, the ‘community-driven’ store brings its collection “designed to last, made with organic cotton, and repaired for life”.
Built on a reputation of “circular design, transparency, and a long-term commitment to doing things differently”, the Repair Shop, offering “free repairs for life on every pair, no matter when or where they were first purchased”.
Repair Shops “are at the heart of Nudie Jeans’ circular model”. Customers return with their worn-in jeans for free repairs, “keeping garments in use for as long as possible”. Re-use jeans, traded in by customers for a discount on their next pair, are cleaned, restored, and resold. In 2024, Nudie Jeans reformed more than 73,000 free repairs globally “and extended the life of thousands of jeans” through its Re-use programme.
“Every Nudie Jeans Repair Shop is built on the belief that tomorrow’s vintage is created in the choices we make today. Few cities understand that better than Bristol,” said co-founder and CEO Joakim Levin.
“Park Street, with its mix of vintage shops, cafés, record stores, and students on the steep climb toward Clifton, sets the perfect stage for [our] next chapter in the UK.”