So you may also know, a group of retailers December released their sales data and comps yesterday. Generally speaking, most of the company's sales suck the consensus - less than analysts saved for December 2008 comps beat speed is a pretty low bar (for example, the most beautiful people in bingo night at a retirement home).Two companies in particular that were of interest to me yesterday were Urban Outfitters (URBN) and good old Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF). The two companies reported results that told two stories in this recession.
Urban Outfitters (URBN) saw same-store sales rise 5% in December. The company’s more expensive brands, Anthropologie (women aged 30-45, a la J. Crew) and Free People (for the tree hugging hippies), rose 10% and 8%, respectively. Total sales in November and December rose 16% YoY to $452M. Most notably, direct-to-consumer (read: online) sales rose 28% over the holiday, stemming from the company’s successful website and catalog (yes, some forms of print media aren’t dead). The stock finished 134% up for the year—an impressive showing, even as practically all retail climbed in 2009.
Urban Outfitters: so indie sometimes, it hurts.
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