Coach Scores Big

Coach, the New York-based leather goods manufacturer and retailer, reported a 270 percent earnings increase for the quarter ended September 30. Earnings increased to $7.6 million from $2 million a year earlier, and sales climbed to $136 million from $118 million. It was Coach's first financial activities report since spinning off from Sara Lee and becoming public on October 5.

Coach's chair and ceo Lew Frankfort cited, among other things, the chain's revitalized retail environments, which feature a lighter, more contemporary atmosphere.