In Brief: Garden Botanika
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Garden Botanika: Toiletries retailer sales increased 47% to $24.9 mil. for the second quarter of fiscal 1997 (ended Aug. 2), the company announced Aug. 26. Store sales grew 10% on a comparable basis and 54% based on an increase in the number of doors from 186 to 269, the company noted. Catalog sales decreased 25% following a planned reduction in circulation. During the quarter, the company adjusted the pricing of its toiletries products and eliminated a "large number of items" from its basic line-up. The firm also changed a number of its in-store fixtures. The "more competitive" toiletries pricing and the clearance effort reduced gross margins during the quarter; the firm reported a net loss of $4.1 mil. compared to a net loss of $2 mil. in the same period a year ago....