Brown Shoe Company, Inc. has reported a 20.2% rise in consolidated net sales for the second quarter of 2005 to $551,480,000, compared with $458,657,000 in last year's second quarter. Net earnings were $4,083,000 for the quarter ended July 30, 2005

Total sales at Famous Footwear, the company's 933-store family footwear chain, were up 6.1% to $286,245,000 for the quarter, versus $269,812,000 for the same period last year. 

The company's Specialty Retail division, which comprises 369 stores in the US and Canada under the Naturalizer, F.X. LaSalle, and Via Spiga names, posted sales of $57,856,000 for the quarter versus $51,959,000 for the year-ago quarter. The division had an operating loss of $5,470,000, compared to an operating loss of $2,427,000 in the year-ago quarter. 

During the quarter, Famous Footwear opened 15 stores and closed nine stores; Naturalizer opened four new stores and closed nine (six in the US and three in Canada).

Brown Shoe is a $2.3 billion footwear company with worldwide operations.