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Non-Tech : Zany Brainy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DEER HUNTER who wrote (445)	12/15/1999 9:51:00 PM
From: Tradelite	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 485

Deer..this is what I meant ________________________ Zany Brainy Holiday Sales May Beat Estimates : Bloomberg Forum King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Dec. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Zany Brainy Inc., an educational-toy retailer, said holiday sales will likely beat expectations as customers continue to flock into its stores and shop through its catalog and Internet site. 'Our business has been very strong, right through Thanksgiving and now into December,' said Keith Spurgeon, chairman and chief executive. 'It looks like we'll exceed our expectations for holiday sales this quarter.' The company, which went public earlier this year, didn't provide specific sales or earnings estimates, though it said it will announce December sales on Jan. 5. The retailer is forecast to earn 54 cents a share in the quarter ending Jan. 31, the average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by First Call Corp. Zany Brainy is trying to grab customers in more ways than through its 103-store network in 26 states. It started selling educational toys, books and software on the Internet in mid- November. Online sales have 'far surpassed our expectations,' Spurgeon told the Bloomberg Forum. 'This is a business that was literally born just about a month ago, and we've had outstanding financial results.' Zany Brainy is also taking mail orders through a 78-page catalog introduced at the beginning of the holiday season. Spurgeon said he was surprised by the enthusiastic response; Zany Brainy had expected mail orders to slow by mid-December. 'There are still folks out there who're buying from our catalogs; this business just keeps growing,' he said. So far, the King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based company has sent out about 3 million catalogs for its stores and another 3 million for its ZanyBrainy.com site on the World Wide Web. It is taking mail and Internet orders through Friday for delivery by Christmas Eve. Emphasis on Education Zany Brainy, which changed its name this year from Children's Concept, sells products focused on learning and with non-violent content. It even hires employees with a special interest in children and refers to them as 'kidsultants.' This philosophy sets it apart from rivals such as Toys 'R' Us Inc. and eToys Inc., Spurgeon said. 'We don't sell Barbies or Nintendos or bicycles. ... It's a different business,' Spurgeon said. 'Aunts and uncles and grandfathers go into our stores with great confidence they'll find something suitable for the kids.' Toys that blend traditional play activities with computer software are attracting more customers. These include a toy version of Hasbro Inc.'s Easy-Bake kitchen that fits over a computer keyboard, helping children learn while playing cooking games and printing invitations and recipes. At the same time, Zany Brainy isn't missing out on sales generated by the wave of popularity for Pokemon and other best- selling toys this season. 'We do carry some Pokemon card games, but in Zany Brainy style we've edited these' to meet the educational criteria the company insists on, Spurgeon said. 'We're not beholden to the Saturday-morning cartoon or movies' to help push sales, Spurgeon said. 'We build our own fads.' Zany Brainy is aiming to grab a dominant share of the fragmented $14 billion market for educational toys, Spurgeon said, which is why he is keen to 'build as many stores as quickly as we can.' The company plans to open about 25 stores in 2000, though demographics show potential for about 300 more, Spurgeon said. The company could also consider acquisitions or 'links with like- minded companies, though there's nothing on the cards yet,' he said. Dec/15/1999 13:22 For more stories from Bloomberg News, click here. (C) Copyright 1999 Bloomberg L.P.