Sharper Image Corp., San Francisco, yesterday reported record sales for December and the 11 months ended Dec. 31.
Total sales in December rose 31 percent to $122.4 million from last December's $93.6 million. Total store sales increased 22 percent to $80.4 million, and comparable-store sales rose 8 percent. Catalog sales jumped 40 percent to $24 million. Internet sales, including auction sales, were up 67 percent to $18 million from $10.8 million.
For the 11 months ended Dec. 31, total sales increased from last year's $358.5 million to $472.3 million. Total store sales rose 26 percent to $277.8 million, and comparable-store sales increased 12 percent. Catalog sales were up 42 percent to $131.1 million from $92.4 million. Internet sales, including auction sales, rose 38 percent to $63.4 million from $46.1 million. Excluding auction sales, Internet sales were up 51 percent.
Also:
· Brookstone Inc., Nashua, NH, said that holiday same-store sales for the two months ended Jan. 4 rose 7.8 percent. Direct-to-customer sales were $25.9 million, up 8.6 percent on a planned reduction in circulation. Total company sales increased 8.7 percent to $167.5 million compared with the same two-month period last year. Year-to-date same-store sales rose 3.3 percent while DTC sales increased 3.1 percent to $61.4 million compared with the same period last year.
· Tiffany & Co., New York, said that net sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 rose 8 percent from the prior year to $509.1 million. On a constant-exchange-rate basis that excludes the effect of translating local-currency-denominated sales into U.S. dollars, net sales rose 6 percent and comparable worldwide store sales fell 1 percent. The company's U.S. retail sales increased 3 percent to $257.18 million. Comparable-store sales rose 6 percent in November but dropped 1 percent in December for an overall gain of 1 percent. Comparable-store sales saw an increase in the number of transactions offset by a decline in the average dollars spent per transaction. Specialty retail sales totaled $11 million, mainly reflecting the consolidated net sales of Little Switzerland Inc. stores that the company acquired in October 2002. Direct marketing sales rose 11 percent to $56.95 million. Combined Internet/catalog sales increased 20 percent due to strong e-commerce sales.
· The National Football League is projecting an increase of better than 20 percent in year over year December catalog sales. Final projections for the December/holiday 2002 catalog include a 2.5 percent response rate on circulation of 1.85 million with an average order amount of $82. Total revenue was $3.79 million. Last year’s book produced the same 2.5 percent response rate. However, the ’01 mailing had a circulation of 1.64 million and an average order amount of $75, producing revenue of $3.1 million.
