3 Companies That Won in January: Limited Brands, Inc. (LTD) and More

The weakest performance came from the company’s international division, which had a comparable sales increase of only 1%. This area is going to be the one to watch in 2013, in my opinion. Late last year, the company reorganized its management team so that international brands were pulled under the management of the brand CEOs. That means that Banana Republic’s U.S. division is now managed by the same person who manages the European division. Hopefully, that will result in an international turnaround like the one seen in the U.S.

Gap is my pick of the bunch, in part because of the interesting brand work that the company is doing. It recently acquired high-end retailer Intermix, and its Athleta brand is building a name for itself as a strong competitor to Lululemon Athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU). I’ll be watching Gap closely over the coming months to see just how much the company can do with those brands, and with its international operation.

The article 3 Companies That Won in January originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Andrew Marder.

Fool contributor Andrew Marder has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends lululemon athletica.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.