Fast Retailing and Ted Baker, winners of the day

Fashion stocks shacked markets around the Globe on Wednesday,

with the likes of Ted Baker, Fast Retailing and Gymboree Corporation taking the lead in Europe, Asia and USA respectively. Promising corporate quarterly and yearly releases continued to fuel the shares of its peer fashion retailers.

Uniqlo´s parent company Fast Retailing made the news today as the Asian leading fashion retailer posted a September-November operating profit of 56.6 billion yen (Rs 3,510 crores) after sales during the period rose 5 percent at Uniqlo outlets in Japan open more than a year.

Fast Retailing also lifted its operating profit forecast to 147.5 billion yen (Rs 9,021 crores) from its earlier estimate of 143.5 billion yen (Rs 8,784 crores) for the full year to August, reported Reuters. That compares with the average estimate of 142.5 billion yen (Rs 8,722 crores) in a poll of 22 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Shares of Fast Retailing jumped more than 50 percent in the 2012 calendar year compared with a 23 percent surge in the benchmark Nikkei average.

In The UK, Ted Baker reported a 20.9 percent increase in retail sales for the eight week period from November 11, 2012 to January 5, 2013, compared to the same period in the previous year. In the trading statement out on Wednesday, Ted Baker said it business in the UK and Europe performed strongly in a competitive trading environment, while its e-commerce business continued to perform very well. It´s Asia though the one to become the spoilt child in 2013, as the retailer was "encouraged" by the initial response to the brand and collections and therefore aimed to invest more. The board said it expected profits for the year ending January 26, 2013 to be in line with expectations.

Ray Kelvin, founder and chief executive at Ted Baker, said: "We were pleased by the performance in markets where the brand is established and continue to build brand awareness in our newer markets, where we are investing for the longer term.

Meanwhile, the Gymboree Corporation announced Wednesday the appointment of Mark Breitbard as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. Breitbard will join Gymboree from Gap Inc., where he most recently served as President of Gap North America, and previously as the Executive Vice President of GapKids and babyGap.

Breitbard's appointment at Gymboree is effective January 14, 2013, when he assumes his responsibilities from interim CEO Kip M. Garcia. Garcia will resume his former duties as President when Breitbard joins the company, and interim Chief Operating Officer Yvonne Hao will continue to work closely with the Gymboree management team as she returns to her role as an Operating Partner at Bain Capital, explained the company in a statement.