Clothing, Retail | featured news

As Bangladesh reels from the deaths of hundreds of garment workers in a building collapse, the refusal of global retailers to pay for strict nationwide factory inspections is bringing renewed scrutiny to an industry that has profited from a country notorious for its hazardous workplaces and subsistence-level wages.

Survivors from a building that collapsed in Bangladesh killing at least 187 mainly women workers described hearing a deafening crack before the complex housing factories supplying Western clothes retailers crashed down in a matter of seconds.

The online retailer is now using its vast resources to become a major seller of high-end clothing.

In a letter posted on the Zappos Web site, the company's chief executive said a "criminal" might have obtained customers' names, addresses, phone numbers and partial credit card information.

U.S. consumers spent more on autos, clothing and furniture in September to boost retail sales by the most in seven months.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is putting electronic identification tags on men's clothing like jeans starting Aug. 1 as the world's largest retailer tries to gain more control of its inventory.

Snowstorms that shut in East Coast shoppers last month also chilled sales at women's clothing stores but most retail sectors saw gains in February compared with a year earlier, data released Wednesday show....