November Sales Roundup

The publicly traded multichannel merchants tracked by CATALOG AGE got their first taste of Christmas during the November sales period. Though the direct units for the most part performed admirably, retail performance was another matter.

San Francisco-based gadgets marketer Sharper Image is a case in point. Total November sales increased 17%, to $78.9 million from $67.3 million in November 2003. Direct sales rose 19%, to $21.5 million. Internet sales increased 30%, to $14.1 million. But while total store sales increased 13%, to $43.3 million, comparable store sales fell 3%.

Net November sales for Columbus, OH-based apparel cataloger/retailer Limited Brands fell 3%, to $762.7 million for the four weeks ended Nov. 27. The parent company of the Express retail chain and cataloger/retailer Victoria’s Secret said that promotional items, such as its Holiday Bag and Lip Kit gift, did not drive sufficient traffic into the stores over the Thanksgiving weekend. Still, combined catalog and Internet sales at Victoria’s Secret increased 5%.

Another apparel cataloger/retailer, Hingham, MA-based The Talbots, saw total November revenue increase 4%, to $130.5 million for the four weeks ended Nov. 27. Comparable store sales decreased 0.5% for the month. Talbots does not break out monthly catalog sales. The company says sales trends at the beginning of the month were soft, due to the later-than-usual start of a best-customer event, but subsequently picked up, with “strong” sales over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Combined catalog and Internet sales increased 17% at Hampstead, MD-based men’s apparel merchant Jos. A. Bank Clothiers. Total sales increased 22%, to $36.1 million. Comparable store sales increased 8%.

November revenue at upscale apparel and décor cataloger/retailer Neiman Marcus rose 5%, to $308 million. Sales within the Dallas-based company’s direct division, which includes the Horchow home furnishings catalog as well as the namesake catalog, increased 17%.

Although combined catalog/Internet sales at Plano, TX-based J.C. Penney Co. fell 4% for the month, the general merchant enjoyed a 12% increase in comparable store sales. The company says that results reflected record sales for the two days following Thanksgiving, driven by strong promotional programs. Total November sales rose 9%, to $1.83 billion.