Birks Group says it was “disappointed” with its holiday sales, citing bad weather leading up to Christmas as a factor.
For the period from Nov. 3 through Dec. 28, comparable store sales decreased by one per cent on a consolidated basis compared to last year’s holiday season.
Although comparable store sales in the United States increased by two per cent, comparable store sales in Canada fell three per cent against the prior year’s holiday season.
While Canadian stores experienced growth in their average sale, Birks says the gain could not offset a significant decline in store traffic exacerbated by unseasonably bad weather during the days leading up to Christmas. Much of Toronto and the GTA were hit by a severe ice storm that left about 270,000 people without power for days.
“We are disappointed in our sales performance during the holiday period,” said Birks Group president and chief executive officer (CEO) Jean-Christophe Bédos. “Much of the significant progress we made over the seven months prior to the holiday period was not able to offset the loss of store traffic experienced in Canada toward the end of the calendar year. We remain confident, however, that continuing forward with our key strategies is an essential element in driving sales and profit growth across all our stores.”
