Sales up 3% at apparel retailer Macy's in Q2 FY'12

Macy’s, Inc.’s diluted earnings per share in the first half were $1.09, an increase of 27 percent compared with earnings of 86 cents per share in the first half of 2011.

“We were pleased with our spring season results, and they came on top of exceptionally strong spring season performances in each of the past two years. This indicates that our business continues to have forward momentum, even with challenges that include a soft economy, lower spending by international tourists, and temporary disruptions associated with the major remodeling of our Herald Square flagship store in New York City which was initiated in March,” said Terry J. Lundgren, Macy’s, Inc. chairman, president and chief executive officer.

“In response to these challenges, we have stayed very firmly focused on driving profitable sales growth while running the business with discipline to maintain margins and manage expenses.

“We are entering the fall season with optimism about our ability to grow sales and capture market share, especially in the holiday season when shoppers naturally turn first to Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. The direction of the overall economy is outside of our control, so we will concentrate on what our company does best.

“We look forward to maintaining our holiday traditions, such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, to help our country, our customers and our employees celebrate with family and friends. We feel good about our very strong brand-driven merchandise assortment for gift-giving and self-purchase this fall, as well as the creative and compelling marketing programs that will drive consumer interest and traffic in stores and online.

“Meanwhile, we will continue to maintain our expense discipline, especially in those areas that are not readily apparent to the customer,” Lundgren said. “In the fourth quarter, we will take a scheduled break in the multi-year Herald Square remodeling project so that customer shopping patterns are uninterrupted during the holiday season.

“We expect all of our first- and second-floor selling space at Herald Square to be fully reopened over the next 90 days, including the world’s largest women’s shoe department, which opens partially this month and will continue in stages in the months ahead.”

Sales

Sales in the second quarter totaled $6.118 billion, up 3.0 percent from total sales of $5.939 billion in the second quarter of 2011. On a same-store basis, Macy’s, Inc.’s second quarter sales were up 3.0 percent in 2012 as compared to the second quarter of 2011.

For the year to date, Macy’s, Inc. sales totaled $12.261 billion, up 3.7 percent from total sales of $11.828 billion in the first 26 weeks of 2011. On a same-store basis, Macy’s, Inc.’s first half sales were up 3.7 percent in 2012 as compared to the first half of 2011.