The Company added 4 new premier stores during the quarter and ended the period with 71 premier stores and 2 outlets. The third quarter comparable store sales for premier, or non-outlet, stores increased 5 percent.
Gross profit in the Company's Retail Segment, which includes distribution, buying, occupancy and merchandising costs, was 32.4 percent of net sales for the quarter versus 29.6 percent in the year-ago quarter, an improvement of 280 basis points.
The Company's Retail Segment reported third quarter income from operations of $0.1 million, compared to an operating loss of $0.2 million during the third quarter of 2005.
Direct Segment Results Net sales for the Direct Segment increased to $41.7 million, compared with $39.9 million in the year-ago third quarter, an increase of 4.6 percent.
Gross profit in the Company's Direct Segment was 47.4 percent of net sales for the quarter versus 46.2 percent in the year-ago quarter, an increase of 120 basis points.
Income from operations in the Direct Segment was $3.5 million during the third quarter, versus a year-ago of $2.1 million.
marketing@alchempro.com
