October Sales Roundup

If October catalog sales are any indication, most of the publicly traded cataloger/retailers tracked by CATALOG AGE have reason to be optimistic for the crucial holiday season.

Take San Francisco-based gadgets cataloger/retailer Sharper Image (Nasdaq: SHRP). Its October direct revenue increased 47%, to $17.8 million from last October's $12.1 million. Internet sales increased 34%, to $7.0 million. Comparable-store sales increased 12%, while total store sales rose 28%, to $25.6 million. Overall sales for the month were $50.5 million, up 35% from last October's $37.4 million.

Catalog and Web sales at home furnishings marketer Restoration Hardware (Nasdaq: RSTO) increased a whopping 46%. That follows last year's 66% increase in direct sales. "Sales from the initial mailing of our holiday catalogs are exceeding our expectations," president/CEO Gary Friedman said in a statement. Third-quarter sales for the Corte Madera, CA-based company increased 6%, to $95.8 million for the three months ended Nov. 1, compared with $90.8 million last year. Comparable-store sales increased 3%. While the quarter's total sales and comparable-store sales were lower than anticipated, demand from orders not yet delivered increased $8.8 million in the quarter.

October catalog and Internet sales at men's apparel marketer Jos. A. Bank Clothiers (NasdaqNM: JOSB) increased 27%. Combined direct and retail sales for the four weeks ended Nov. 1 were a record $27.0 million, up 22% from last year. Comparable-store sales increased 5%.

Dallas-based The Neiman Marcus Group (NYSE:NMG.A), which mails the Horchow, Neiman Marcus, and Chef’s Catalog titles, enjoyed a 15% increase in October direct sales. Combined retail and direct sales for the quarter ended Nov. 3 were $272 million, up 10% from the comparable quarter of 2002.

Hingham, MA-based apparel cataloger/retailer The Talbots (NYSE: TLB) had less success to report. Total company sales for the four weeks ended Nov. 1 were $137.9 million, up 2% from October 2002's $135.2 million. Comparable-store sales, meanwhile, decreased 8% for the month. Talbots does not break out monthly catalog sales.

October catalog/Internet sales at Plano, TX-based J.C. Penney Co. (NYSE: JCP) inched up a scant 0.4%, to $238 million from $237 million last year. Internet sales alone, however, increased more than 30% for the month. Total company sales fell 0.9%, to $2.51 billion.

Finally, October catalog and e-commerce sales at Chapter 11-mired Spiegel Group, which mails the Eddie Bauer, Newport News, and Spiegel titles, decreased 31%. Total sales fell 25%, to $129.5 million from $171.9 million last October. The company was operating 18% fewer stores than it had last year, with most of the store closings a result of the company's ongoing reorganization.