Nike Inc posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday as the world's largest athletic shoe and clothing maker was hit by the rising costs of oil, cotton and other commodities, and its shares fell more than 5 percent.

Lululemon Athletica Inc posted a higher quarterly profit on Thursday, but said it was unable to meet the soaring demand for its yoga and activewear gear in the current period. U.S.

Guess Inc expects weak sales at its North American stores to persist early this fiscal year amid pressure on its profits from rising cotton and oil prices, and its shares fell nearly 5 percent.

British fashion group French Connection said it was confident of coping with a tough economic outlook and rising input prices as it beat forecasts with higher full-year profit, and hiked its dividend.

Quiksilver says to be confident about the year ahead, even though the American brand saw its fiscal 2011 Q1 sales, which began in November 2010, decrease by 1.6% to a little over 300 million euros.

Italian luxury leather goods maker Tod's hiked its dividend by one third and forecast an excellent 2011 after strong demand in the United States and Asia.

Luxury stocks were hit on Monday by worries about future sales in Japan, the world's third largest luxury goods market and a significant profit contributor for Hermes, Burberry, LVMH and Richemont.

Britain's top shares gained slightly early on Monday as disruption to nuclear power after a massive earthquake in Japan boosted energy firms, but Burberry slid on fears that demand there for luxury goods would slump.

Hermes family shareholder Nicolas Puech is open to a partnership with luxury giant LVMH, which has built up a 20 percent stake in its smaller rival, as long as Hermes retains its freedom, he told a newspaper.

British luxury group Mulberry raised profit forecasts for the third time in four months on Friday, as the well heeled both in the UK and overseas snapped up its leather goods.

Women's apparel retailer Coldwater Creek Inc posted weak fourth-quarter results as its products did not sell well during the holiday season and the company does not expect sales to improve in the near term, sending its shares down 12 percent.

The world's biggest watchmaker Swatch said Thursday that it expects exceptional growth in 2011 and aims for annual sales of 10 billion francs (7.7 billion euros, $10.7 billion) in about three years."We are in an exceptional situation.

World-class "noses" in the perfume and wine business are not born with an outsized sense of smell but acquire it through years of professional sniffing, according to new research.

LVMH, the world's leading luxury retailer, said Monday it will take control of Italian top-end jeweller Bulgari in a deal worth nearly two billion euros.

French luxury brand Hermes, widely seen as a takeover target for giant rival LVMH, said Friday its 2010 net profit jumped 46 percent and this year could be even better. Net profit came in at 421.