US footwear retailer and wholesaler, Brown Shoe Company, Inc. has reported a 6.4% increase in consolidated net sales to $523,283,000 for the first quarter of fiscal 2005, ended April 30, versus $491,832,000 in the same period in 2004.. Net earnings were $3,779,000 for the quarter compared with $8,526,000 last year.

Sales at Famous Footwear, the company's 927-store family footwear chain, were up 6.1% to $288,735,000 for the quarter, from $272,124,000 for the same 13-week period last year. Naturalizer Retail, the company's 366-store chain selling the Naturalizer brand of women's shoes in the USA and Canada, posted sales of $46,410,000, compared with $45,331,000 for the same period last year.

"Our first quarter results were driven by solid performances at both Famous Footwear and our Wholesale division," said Brown Shoe Chairman and CEO Ron Fromm. "Famous Footwear's 1.5% increase in same-store sales contributed to our 34% increase in operating profits for the chain. Operating earnings in our Wholesale segment increased 37%, as we began to benefit from the merchandising and marketing initiatives we'd implemented late last year, and did not have

transition costs to assimilate Bass from the year-ago quarter.

"In addition, during the quarter we completed our acquisition of Bennett Footwear, adding licensed and owned brands - like Franco Sarto, Via Spiga, Etienne Aigner and Nickels Soft - that sell primarily in the bridge and better zones," Fromm added.

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