The 100 Fastest-Growing Cross-Channel Retailers

By The Retail Online Integration Staff

#70 Express
Operating in the crowded apparel and accessories space, Express took steps last year to differentiate itself from its competition. Chief among them was extending its reach internationally. The retailer started shipping online orders to 60 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia in August, then in September it opened its first brick-and-mortar store outside the U.S. in Toronto.

"International shipping allows Express to build upon our customer base and meet the requests we hear from our international customers who come to the U.S., shop in our stores and fall in love with our fashion," said Lisa Gavales, chief marketing officer at Express, in a press release announcing the launch of international shipping. "We feel there's a great opportunity to provide access to the universal fashion appeal of Express to men and women around the world."

In addition to its international efforts, Express also did quite well domestically in 2011. Here are some highlights from its latest fiscal year:

the company opened 27 new stores, including 21 in the U.S. and six in Canada;
operating income increased approximately  36 percent to $270.9 million, or 13.1 percent of net sales, compared to $199.3 million, or 10.5 percent of net sales, in 2010; and
net income was $147.1 million compared to $121.8 million the previous year.

Things are looking up for Express in fiscal 2012, as well. The company expects full-year comparable store sales to increase in the midsingle digits next year, compared to a 6 percent increase in 2011. What's more, it plans to open 30 new stores in 2012, including 20 to 23 in the U.S. and seven to 10 in Canada. — Joe Keenan

#79 Calloway's Nursery
Gardening, like everything else, must be big in Texas. If not, how else couldCalloway’s Nursery, a 19-store garden center chain serving the Dallas-Fort Worth (as Calloway’s Nursery) and Houston (as Cornelius Nursery) markets, manage to be one of the fastest-growing retailers?

Founded in 1986, Calloway’s Nursery strives to make gardening fun, easy and successful for its customers by offering expert advice from Texas-Certified Nursery Professionals; store environments that are educational and easy to shop; weekly gardening clinics that serve both novice and expert gardeners; displays and instructions to aid gardeners with design and color development in their yards; and a product selection of the best plant varieties available.

Calloway’s sales are primarily derived from living plants, as well as the products that are required to care for and nourish those plants. The company also sells lawn and garden accessories. In the Houston Cornelius Nursery stores, shoppers can find an extensive selection of gift items and custom arrangements as well.

While Calloway’s Nursery doesn’t have an online store, the company actively promotes its brand via direct mail, online advertising and an active presence on Facebook,Google+ and Twitter.

When consumers “Like” Calloway’s on Facebook, follow the company on Twitter or add Calloway’s to their Google+ circles, for example, they receive special saving notices.

Highlights of Calloway’s Nursery’s 2011 fiscal year include the following:

net income of $1.3 million, compared to net income of $0.7 million for fiscal year 2010; and
diluted net income per common share of $.17, compared to diluted net income per common share of $.09 for 2010. — Melissa Campanelli

#91 PC Mall
A hybrid B-to-B/B-to-C brand, PC Mall, Inc. sells technology products, services and solutions to businesses, government and educational institutions, as well as to individual consumers through three retail stores, a direct sales force and direct via its e-commerce sites and catalogs. The 25-year-old company is based in El Segundo, Calif. PC Mall bolstered its product offerings with the acquisition of online marketplace eCost.com in February 2011. eCost.com sells merchandise in an assortment of product categories, including computers, networking, electronics and entertainment, TVs, monitors and projectors, cameras and camcorders, memory and storage, apparel, and sports and leisure items. The move comes in conjunction with PC Mall's plan to form a new subsidiary to be named OnSale, which will be combined with the eCost business.

"We're very excited about this acquisition, which will help us broaden our reach into the consumer market," said Frank Khulusi, PC Mall's chairman and CEO, in a company press release announcing the move. "Consumer spending represents a significant portion of the U.S. economy and the opportunities surrounding a consumer-focused web strategy can be compelling. Our plan for our new consumer-focused subsidiary [OnSale] is to leverage its brands, revenue stream, vendor relationships, online traffic, customer base, patents and employee base to expand as well as to explore additional market opportunities."

Other highlights of PC Mall's 2011 fiscal year include the following: