Full Description

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. is a designer, marketer and wholesaler of branded apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company markets its products to the consumers, through a chain of specialty retail and stores and through the e-commerce Web sites. The Company also markets costume jewelry under the Givenchy brand licensed from Givenchy Corporation, footwear under the Dockers Women brand licensed from Levi Strauss & Co., and apparel under the Rachel Roy brand licensed from Rachel Roy IP Company, LLC. The Company operates in five business segments: wholesale better apparel, wholesale jeanswear, wholesale footwear and accessories, retail, and licensing. The brands of the Company include Jones New York, Nine West, Anne Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, Kasper, Bandolino, Easy Spirit, Evan-Picone, l.e.i., Energie, Enzo Angiolini, Joan & David, Mootsies Tootsies, Sam & Libby, Napier, Judith Jack, Albert Nipon and Le Suit. On June 20, 2008, the Company completed the acquisition of GRI.

Wholesale Better Apparel

The brands cover a range of categories for the women's markets. Within those brands, various product classifications include career and casual sportswear, jeanswear, dresses, suits, and a combination of all components termed lifestyle collection. Career and casual sportswear are marketed as individual items or groups of skirts, pants, shorts, jackets, blouses, sweaters and related accessories which, while sold as separates, are coordinated as to styles, color schemes and fabrics, and are designed to be worn together. The Company introduces new collections in four seasons: spring, summer, fall and holiday.

Wholesale Jeanswear

The brands of the Company cover a range of categories for the women's, juniors and girls markets. Within those brands, the product classifications include jeanswear, casual sportswear and dresses, with a focus on fit, fabric and finish. Jeanswear and casual sportswear are designed and marketed as individual items of skirts, pants, shorts, jackets, casual tops, sweaters and related accessories which, while sold as separates, can be combined with each other and with certain of the wholesale better products into groups termed lifestyle collection that are designed to be worn together. The Company introduces the new products in the four selling seasons: spring, summer, fall and holiday. In addition to the products sold under these brands, the Company provide design and manufacturing resources to certain retailers to develop product lines to be sold under private labels.

Wholesale Footwear and Accessories

The wholesale footwear and accessories operations include the sale of brand name and private label footwear, handbags, small leather goods and costume, semi-precious, sterling silver, and marcasite jewelry. The brands manufactured by the Company include Joan and David, Nine West, Nine West Kids, Bandolino, Mootsies Tootsies, Mootsies Tootsies Kids, Dockers Women, Judith Jack, Nine West and Napier.

Retail

The Company markets apparel, footwear and accessories directly to consumers through the specialty retail stores operating in malls and urban retail centers, outlet stores and e-commerce Web sites operated by the Company. The Nine West, Easy Spirit, Bandolino and AK Anne Klein retail stores offer selections of exclusive products not marketed to the wholesale customers. Specialty retail stores may also sell products licensed by the Company, including belts, legwear, outerwear, watches and sunglasses. During the year ended December 31, 2008, the Company operated a total of 644 outlet stores. In 2008, the Company operated e-commerce Web sites at www.ninewest.com, www.easyspirit.com, www.bandolino.com and www.jny.com.