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A different month but the same disappointing story for Sharper Image Corp. For the other publicly traded companies tracked by MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT, however, April was far from the cruelest month.
At upscale apparel and decor mailer Neiman Marcus Direct, which includes the Horchow and Neiman Marcus titles, April sales increased 20%. Dallas-based parent company Neiman Marcus Group enjoyed a nearly 13% boost in year-over-year revenue, to $348 million for the four weeks ended April 29.
April sales at women’s apparel merchant Victoria’s Secret Direct rose 10%, to $315.5 million, for the four weeks ended April 29. Internet sales continue to exceed expectations. Parent company Limited Brands reported a 9% increase in overall April sales, to $653.2 million. In addition to Victoria’s Secret, Limited Brands includes the Express and Bath & Body Work retail chains.
The direct division of Plano, TX-based J.C. Penney Co. posted a 1.5% increase in direct sales, to $201 million for the four weeks ended April 29. Internet sales increased 17. Penney’s department store sales were up 3%, to $1.168 billion. Total company sales also rose 3%, to $1.369 billion.
Hampstead, MD-based men’s apparel cataloger/retailer Jos. A. Bank Clothiers posted a nearly 8% increase in April combined catalog and Internet sales. Total April sales climbed 18%, to $38.4 million for the four weeks ended April 29.
Following a decrease in year-over-year sales for March, The Talbots bounced back with a 9% jump in April sales, to $166.2 million for the four weeks ended April 29. The Hingham, MA-based apparel cataloger/retailer does not break out monthly catalog sales data but said in a statement it saw a “continuation of softer-than-anticipated catalog sales.”
Year-over-year sales at San Francisco-based Sharper Image sunk 23%, to $33.1 million for the month ended April 30. Catalog/direct marketing sales (including wholesale) fell 2%, to $11.5 million from $11.7 million the previous April; Internet sales decreased 30%, to $5.3 million from $7.6 million.
“Sales for the month of April continued to disappoint us,” CEO Richard Thalheimer said in a statement. Nonetheless, there was a bright side: “Although overall sales continued to be affected by planned lower total advertising expenditures, we saw improving returns on infomercial spending throughout the quarter and, as a result, experienced higher infomercial sales, particularly in March and April.”
