First-quarter net sales at apparel and home decor cataloger Blair Corp. sank nearly 26%, to $76.1 million down from $102.7 million last year. E-commerce sales fell 28%, to $17.8 million.
While the Warren, PA-based company had expected a decline due to planned reductions in circulation, sales for the quarter were about 15% below expectations. They attributed the decline to slow response to spring apparel and fulfillment difficulties resulting from the startup of a new warehouse management software system.
Given the drop in revenue, it’s not surprising that Blair’s first-quarter loss widened, from $4.8 million last year to $5.1 million.