Thursday January 6, 8:01 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Claire's Stores, Inc.
Claire's Stores Reports December Sales Up 47%; Same Store Sales Increase 5%
PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Claire's Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CLE - news) announced sales for the five weeks ended January 1 were $188,827,000, a 47 percent increase over sales of $128,637,000 reported for the comparable five week period ended January 2, 1999. Same store sales increased five percent. Same store comparisons do not include the performance of the Afterthoughts stores, which were acquired December 1, 1999.
Sales for the first 11 months of Fiscal 2000, were $791,859,000, up 27% from $621,988,000 in the comparable 11 months of Fiscal 1999, the company said. Same store sales increased five percent.
All figures have been restated to reflect the disposition of Just Nikki, Inc.
Rowland Schaefer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Claire's, said, ``We are extremely pleased by the strong Holiday season. Sales domestically and internationally were strong during December. We are confident that Fiscal 2000 will be our seventh consecutive year of record sales and earnings and we are well positioned to begin Fiscal 2001.'
Claire's Stores, Inc., a leading mall-based retailer of popular priced teens' accessories and costume jewelry, currently operates more than 3,000 stores under the following trade names: Claire's Accessories, Afterthoughts, The Icing, Velvet Pixies and Mr. Rags. The stores are located throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Japan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. In December, the company also announced its agreement to acquire a 42-store fashion accessory chain in France. Closing of that acquisition is expected by the end of February.
This release contains ``forward-looking statements' that represent the company's expectations or beliefs with regard to future events. These ``forward-looking statements' are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These factors include, without limitation, changes in consumer preferences, competition and economic conditions in the United States.
Claire's Stores, Inc.
(Monthly Sales in 000's) *
Reporting Change FY 2000 FY 1999 TOTAL SAME STORE
CHANGE CHANGE
February $ 46,807 $ 36,032 30% 12%
March 69,013 49,824 39% 21%
April 54,674 45,635 20% 5%
May 54,102 41,554 30% 13%
June 71,047 57,586 23% 9%
July 60,797 49,344 23% 6%
August 66,904 55,951 20% 0%
September 63,003 55,139 14% (4%)
October 52,874 45,999 15% (2%)
November 63,811 56,287 13% 0%
December 188,827 128,637 47% 5%
Year to Date 791,859 621,988 27% 5%
* Restated to reflect the disposition of Just Nikki, Inc.
For More Information:
Glenn Canary
Director of Investor Relations
954-433-3900
gcanary@prodigy.net
or
Sonia Rohan
Associate Director of Investor Relations
212-594-3127
sonia.rohan@claires.com |
