The 100 Fastest Growing Retailers 2010-2011 - Page 2 of 3

By The Retail Online Integration Staff

#26 Barnes  & Noble,  Inc.
The growth of e-books isn't stopping Barnes & Noble, the world's largest bookseller, from being on our list of the fastest-growing retailers.

The New York City-based company is a leading content, commerce and technology provider via books, magazines, newspapers and other content across its multichannel distribution platform. Barnes & Noble operates 705 retail bookstores in regional shopping malls, strip centers and freestanding locations in 50 states, as well as 636 college bookstores serving nearly four million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States.

BarnesandNoble.com stocks more than one million titles for immediate delivery. In 2009, Barnes & Noble also became a leader in e-books, offering more than one million titles in its e-book store and launching NOOK, an e-book reader.

Here are some highlights from Barnes & Noble's 2010 fiscal year, according to its website:

Store sales increased 8.2 percent in the nine-week holiday period ending Jan. 1, 2011 over the prior year period. Comparable store sales increased 9.7 percent, marking the bookstore's best comparable store sales performance in more than a decade.
The company sold virtually its entire inventory of NOOK Color and E Ink devices during the holiday season, while exceeding its sales plan for accessories associated with the NOOK product line.
Company web sales increased 24 percent to $573 million for the year vs. the 12-month period that ended on May 2, 2009. — Melissa Campanelli

#38 Jos. A. Bank Clothiers,  Inc.
Jos. A. Bank, a cross-channel retailer of men's tailored and casual clothing, sportswear, footwear, and accessories, saw an 11.40 percent increase in revenues from 2009 to 2010, helping it land at No. 38 on our list of the fastest-growing public retailers. However, with a growing presence of new competition, Jos. A. Bank can't afford to rest on its laurels. The company has launched new initiatives to stay one step ahead in 2011.

Just two days after J.C. Penney announced the launch of The Foundry, a new men's big and tall brand, Jos. A. Bank announced its partnership with FiftyOne Global Ecommerce, a provider of a technology and services platform that enables U.S. retailers to market, sell and fulfill merchandise internationally, as part of its plan to launch international sales programs. In addition, the company has paired with 5th Finger, a mobile marketing technology firm, to help it offer a mobile shopping experience for its customers. Jos. A. Bank is also taking advantage of the daily-deal craze by offering coupons on Dealtaker.com.

Here are some highlights from Jos. A. Bank's latest fiscal year:

Net income increased 21 percent to a company record $85.8 million, as compared with net income of $71.2 million for the fiscal year ended Jan. 30, 2010.
Comparable store sales increased 7.0 percent during fiscal year 2010, and direct marketing sales jumped 24.4 percent.
The company has now reported earnings growth in 37 of the past 38 quarters when compared to the respective prior year periods, including 19 quarters in a row. — Meredith Cunningham

#60 ANN INC.
Hopefully a new name won't slow down the momentum the former Ann Taylor Corp. was building in its latest fiscal year. With two brands — Ann Taylor and LOFT — under its umbrella each operating across three channels, the company decided to change its name to ANN INC. to reflect that it's much more than a store-based retailer.

"We have two distinct brands that enable us to reach our client whether she's making her purchases at our stores, online or at our factory outlet locations," said Kay Krill, ANN INC.'s president and CEO during the March conference call announcing the name change.

Whatever the corporate name, New York City-based ANN INC. enjoyed a successful 2010 fiscal year. Here are some of the highlights for the specialty retailer of fashionable women's apparel:

positive comparable sales in every quarter of fiscal 2010, totaling a 10.7 percent increase for the year;
sales at AnnTaylor.com and AnnTaylorLoft.com were up 54.3 percent and 65.3 percent, respectively; and
net income for the year was $73,397,000 compared to a net loss of 18,208,000 in 2009. — Joe Keenan