Sales Jump at Delia’s
Second-quarter sales at cataloger/retailer Delia’s increased 10.8%, to $58.1 million for the three months ended Aug. 2. The company’s net loss for the quarter was $5.0 million, compared to a net loss of $5.1 million for the same period in 2007.

Sales for the direct segment, which includes the Delia’s and Alloy teen girls’ apparel catalogs and extreme-sports gear catalog CCS, rose 4.3%, to $34.5 million. Sales from the Delia’s retail stores increased 22%, to $23.6 million.

CEO Robert Bernard said in a release: “We are pleased with the progress we made in the second quarter. For the retail segment, we achieved positive comparable store sales growth and increased segment sales, driven by growth in our store base over the past year. For the direct segment, we achieved steady sales and margin growth, driven largely by the strong performance of our dELiA*s Direct brand.”

Bernard added: “Early indications are that we are seeing a payback for the investments we made earlier in the year in merchandising, store operations, and inventory planning and allocation. We intend to continue to drive sales growth and margin improvement as we carefully manage our business through this challenging retail environment.”

Bottom Line Falls at Staples
Second-quarter sales for catalog/retailer Staples grew 18%, to $5.1 billion for the three months ended Aug. 2. Sales from its North American Delivery Business — which includes the Staples and Quill catalogs and online businesses as well as the Staples contract delivery business — grew 25%, to $2.0 billion.

Staples’ North American retail sales decreased 1%, while same-store sales slipped 7%. Total international sales rose 18%. Net income sank 16%, to $150.2 million compared to $178.8 million in the same period last year.

2Q Direct Sales Rise at Jos. A. Bank
Men’s apparel cataloger/retailer Jos. A. Bank Clothiers recorded a 10.2% increase in second-quarter catalog and Internet sales. Total sales rose 13.7%, to $152.7 million for the three months ended Aug. 4, up from $134.3 million a year ago. Net income climbed 8%, to $8.8 million from $8.2 million last year.

New York–A pair of teen marketers ended the summer quarter as red as many of their sun-worshipping customers during the summer quarter. On a consolidated basis, apparel cataloger/retailer Delia’s (Nasdaq: DLIA) posted an $11.0 million loss, including restructuring charges, for the quarter ended Aug. 4, up 6% from last year’s net loss of $10.4 million. Net revenue fell 30%, to $26.0 million, a result of Delia’s divestiture of such noncore titles as Storybook Heirlooms. But core sales—from the Delia’s stores, Website, and catalog—rose 8%. Catalog and Web sales increased 4%.

The bottom line was just as dismal for fellow generation Y marketer Alloy (Nasdaq: ALOY). The cataloger’s net loss grew 64%, to $11.3 million for the quarter ended July 31, up from $6.9 million a year ago. Revenue did increase, however, by 133%, to $28.7 million from $12.3 million.