NEWS****NEWS****NEWS****
PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Claire's Stores, Inc.
(NYSE: CLE) reported today sales for the four weeks ended February 1 were
$26,346,000, up 5 percent over $24,977,000 reported for the five weeks ended
February 3, 1996. Comparing the four weeks of January this year to the
corresponding four weeks in January of last year, sales were $26,346,000
against $20,398,000, an increase of 29%. Same store sales were up 13% for the
comparable four week periods.
Sales for the three month period ended February 1, 1997 were $144,593,000,
up 21% over $119,689,000 recorded for the fourth quarter of Fiscal 1996. Same
store sales were up 8% for the quarter.
For the total year, a 52 week retailing year against a 53 week year in
Fiscal 1996, sales were $440,210,000 against $344,881,000, a 28% increase.
Same store sales were up 10%.
"For the past several months we have been saying that Claire's was on its
way to a record year, and obviously we were right," said Rowland Schaefer,
Claire's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our Christmas selling season
produced excellent results for us. Sales continued strong through January and
we expect that strong trend to continue through the first quarter of Fiscal
1998 and for the rest of the year."
Mr. Schaefer said the company expects to report earnings for Fiscal 1997
on February 18. He said the company expects per-share earnings to exceed by
more than 40% the $.66 earned last year.
Claire's Stores, Inc., the nation's premier retailer of women's fashion
accessories, owns and operates 1563 stores in 49 states, the Caribbean,
Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom.
CLAIRE'S STORES, INC.
(Sales in 000s)
Reporting Change FY1997 FY1996 TOTAL SAME STORE
CHANGE CHANGE
February $ 24,355 $ 17,593 38% 21%
March 38,063 25,669 48% 24%
April 29,956 24,792 21% 2%
May 30,009 23,576 27% 10%
June 38,459 28,979 33% 10%
July 32,251 24,741 30% 7%
August 36,270 27,783 31% 12%
September 36,477 28,255 32% 10%
October 29,777 23,804 25% 7%
November 36,220 27,530 32% (3%)
December 82,027 67,182 22% 12%
January 26,346 24,977 5% 13%
Year to Date $440,210 $344,881 28% 10%
SOURCE Claire's Stores, Inc.
-0- 2/6/97
/CONTACT: Glenn Canary, Director of Investor Relations, Claire's Stores,
Inc., 954-433-3900/ |
