Wilsons’ woes continue as warm weather affects sales
September failed to herald a turnaround in fortunes for US leather outerwear, accessories and apparel retailer Wilsons The Leather Experts Inc. as sales for the five-week period ended September 30, fell to $21.5 million compared with $23.6 million for same period in 2006. Year-to-date sales also continued to decline, slipping 14.9% to $139 million, down from $163.3 million in the comparable period last year.
CEO, Michael Searles, commented, "While September in total was disappointing, our mall-based accessories business exceeded both our planned sales and margin. Accessories penetration to total sales grew significantly year-over-year but was not enough to overcome the softness we experienced in our outerwear categories as a result of abnormally warm weather in most of our trading areas. Where weather patterns were cooler than normal, we experienced positive results.”
Wilsons currently operates 411 stores in the USA, including 280 mall stores, 117 outlet stores and 14 airport stores.
