International: Dec. 22, 2000
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has put a $195 million offer on the table for Donna Karan International Inc. (DKI), the publicly traded New York-based design house, and has made a $450 million offer as well for privately held Gabrielle Studio Inc., the holder of the Karan trademarks, including DKNY and Donna Karan New York; Karan herself would continue as the company’s chief designer, according to an LVMH statement; a special committee of DKI’s board of directors will review the terms of the LVMH offer, according to a DKI company statement; Gabrielle Studio, the Karan licensor, is owned by Karan and her husband...Brazilian retailer Pao de Acucar has announced a $318 million 2001 expansion plan under which it will increase retail space by 12 percent and hire 6,000 new employees, as well as remodel its old stores and update its technology...BCBG Max Azria is opening two new stand-alone stores in Asia, one in Hong Kong and one in Shanghai; the company, which also has nine stores in Taiwan, will be represented in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan by Imaginex Hong Kong Ltd.
