Limited Brands Inc. (LTD:NYSE)

Limited Brands will do some pruning, announcing a plan yesterday to close the La Senza Girl chain to focus on better-performing brands. Some of the storefronts will become home to other Limited Brands chains, company officials told analysts on a conference call about its third-quarter earnings.

This fleet has three more flagships. Victoria's Secret recently opened three flagship stores in Chicago, Honolulu and New York. The locations are no accident. Stores of this type are big and carry a wider and higher-quality array of goods than the average store, all the better to act as a promotional vehicle for the brand.

Retailers hope Black Friday will make them money. The two sides are laying out battle plans with a week to go. "If you are willing to go on the hunt, you can save a bundle, but you have to do your research," Penny Smart, of Joplin, said of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when Christmas shopping becomes a hell-for-leather ride.

Limited Brands Inc. said Thursday it is shuttering its La Senza Girl stores in Canada as it expands other brands there, including Bath and Body Works and its Victoria's Secret line, Pink. On Wednesday, the company reported its third-quarter profit rose above its forecast on cost cuts and raised its full-year guidance.

Among the earnings stories for Wednesday, Nov. 18, from AP Financial News: NEW YORK _ Clothing maker Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. posted a jump in third-quarter earnings, boosted by a $30.4 million tax benefit, and raised its full-year 2009 profit outlook citing factors including higher expected royalties.

Victoria's Secret parent Limited Brands Inc. said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit rose above its own forecast, helped by cost cuts and a tax gain. Limited Brands raised its full-year guidance, and its shares rose 48 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $18.75 during aftermarket trading. The company's expenses fell 7 percent.

Limited Brands, Inc. today reported 2009 third quarter results. Third Quarter Results Adjusted earnings per share for the third quarter ended Oct. 31, 2009, were $0.02 compared to earnings per share of $0.01 for the quarter ended Nov. 1, 2008, which exclude an income tax benefit in 2009 as detailed below.

The Columbus Partnership didn't have to look far in its search to find a chief executive to run the civic organization. Alex Fischer, 42, a former Battelle senior vice president who is a consultant for the group, was appointed to the post yesterday in the group's board meeting.

In conjunction with Limited Brands third quarter 2009 earnings release, which will cross the wire after market close on Wednesday, November 18, you are invited to listen to a broadcast of the conference call live over the Internet on Thursday, November 19, at 9:00 a.m. ET with Limited Brands executives.

Advertising Material - The Shuman Law Firm today announced that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on behalf of purchasers of Limited Brands, Inc. common stock during the period of August 22, 2007 through February 28, 2008, inclusive, for violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.