The company reported that diluted earnings per share increased nearly 9% to 37 cents on total net income of$8.4 million, with sales climbing $8 million to $231.3 million and a same store sales increase of a tenth of a percentage point. The net was up from $7.8 million and 34 cents per share in the third quarter of last year.
Looking ahead, Miller said that Big 5 expects that economic conditions will remain challenging in the fourth quarter, but that it has "a strong merchandising and promotional plan in place to drive business through the important holiday season." The fourth quarter got off to a slow start, Miller said, in part because of the wildfires in California, which exacerbated the already slowing sales trend. None of Big 5's stores were damaged by the fires, but several were closed for a few days and access to a few was restricted because of the fires. Miller noted that the unhealthy air quality resulting from the wildfires also reduced outdoor activity considerably for a while, another contributing factor to slowing sales.
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