Zumiez reports strong start to BTS

Zumiez reported strong sales for the key back-to-school month of August.

The company said this afternoon that same-store sales rose 9.1% for the month vs. a 12.1% decline in August last year.

Nearly every category posted positive results, including accessories, men’s, boys, footwear and hardgoods.

Junior’s was the only poor performer.

Comps by week were:

1. up 7.2%

2. up 9.8%

3. up 8.9%

4. up 10.3%

The number of transactions rose, while the average dollar per transaction fell.

The South was the top-performing region, with comps up 10%. The West, Midwest and Northeast recorded a 6% comp increase. E-commerce also posted positive results.

CFO Trevor Lang cautioned that the first few weeks of September are also important for back-to-school sales, so August and September results should be taken into consideration when judging the season.

Year to date, same store sales are up 9.2% vs. a 16% decline for the same period last year.

Zumiez operates 396 stores.