AEFFE ADVANCES: Growth in Europe and Russia boosted Aeffe SpA’s third-quarter numbers. Net profit for the three months ended Sept. 30 rose 43.5 percent to 6.3 million euros, or $8.6 million. Operating profit grew 27.6 percent to 13.6 million euros, or $18.6 million. Sales for the period advanced 7.1 percent to 92.7 million euros, or $127 million. Sales growth in Russia, Italy and other European countries compensated for declines in Japan and the United States. “We are satisfied with the results obtained in the first nine months of 2007,” Aeffe chairman Massimo Ferretti said in a statement, noting that spring-summer 2008 orders are up 10 percent. “We are hopeful for the future despite the ongoing unfavorable trend in currencies.”
MORE PINK IN NEW ENGLAND: Thomas Pink is to open its third boutique this month in the Boston area. The retailer will launch a 1,500-square-foot store Saturday at the Natick Collection in Natick, Mass., which will give it 18 shops in the U.S. Company president Robert Dundon said the location was selected because of the area’s affluence, proximity to Boston and attraction among city dwellers seeking a suburban shopping experience. The unit will offer more casual options for stay-at-home moms and for people with home offices. Thomas Pink has plans to expand in the Southeast, Southwest and Northwest. It will open a store at the Palazzo Las Vegas resort and casino on Jan. 17, Dundon said.
LE COQ SPORTIF SIGNS NOAH: Two weeks into his first season as a professional basketball player, Chicago Bulls power forward Joakim Noah has signed a six-year endorsement deal with Le Coq Sportif, the French footwear and apparel brand that his father, tennis pro Yannick Noah, has endorsed for years.