Cover Story: The Top 100 Fastest-Growing Cross-Channel Retailers

We're proud to bring you our annual list of the 100 fastest-growing cross-channel retailers for the 2011 to 2012 fiscal year. To compile the list, we researched 2012 fiscal year net sales figures for all the public retail companies in the U.S. and Canada. We then compared those numbers to the previous fiscal year's net sales. After we figured out the percentage change year-over-year, we ranked each company in descending order for our top 100. We've also included some profiles that highlight specific companies on the list. Click on the related content link to access a PDF of the full list.

Another key metric key metric cross-channel retailers look at when analyzing their successes (or failures) is their website traffic. Therefore, Retail Online Integration(ROI) asked Compete, a Kantar Media Company that provides website visitation numbers for the world's top retail brands, to take our list of the 100 fastest-growing cross-channel retailers and provide us with December 2011 and December 2012 online visitor counts for those brands, then rank the companies by highest percentage change year-over-year. For the list, ROI gave Compete all of the multiple domains owned by each retail company (e.g., Amazon.com includes Soap.com, Diapers.com, etc.). The visitor counts for all the individual domains were then combined to arrive at a total figure for web traffic for the parent company. Click on the related content link to access a PDF of the full list. Enjoy!

#1 Michael Kors
In its first year being eligible for this list — it became a public company in December 2011 — Michael Kors took the top spot, posting an impressive 60.2 percent lift in year-over-year sales in its 2012 fiscal year. The global luxury lifestyle brand, named after the American fashion designer who founded the company, has expanded its product offering in recent years beyond apparel into accessories (e.g., handbags, leather goods, eyewear, jewelry, watches) and footwear.

In addition to growing its merchandise assortment, Michael Kors has expanded its reach across the globe. The retailer now has a presence in 74 countries, including 46 company-operated international stores. In addition to its retail business (which includes an e-commerce website), Michael Kors has a thriving a wholesale segment. In fiscal 2012, the brand's wholesale segment accounted for nearly 47 percent of its total revenue, with wholesale sales through approximately 2,027 department and specialty stores in North America and 650 internationally.

Highlights from Michael Kors 2012 fiscal year include the following:

• gross profit for the year increased 68.8 percent to $753.1 million;
• 71 new store openings in the 2012 fiscal year; and
• net income was $147.4 million, compared to $72.5 million in fiscal 2011.

"We are uniquely positioned to continue to build the Michael Kors global luxury lifestyle brand," said John Idol, Michael Kors' chairman and CEO, in a company press release announcing its 2012 fiscal year results. "The company has proven retail and wholesale formats that are performing throughout the world. Michael Kors' unique fashion designs continue to resonate with customers globally and we believe that our company has tremendous opportunity for future growth." — Joe Keenan

#24 Chico's FAS
With its target demographic clearly defined — fashion-savvy women 30 years and older — Chico's and its three brands (White House | Black Market, Soma Intimates, Boston Proper) have been able to effectively target its products and marketing messages to this active consumer segment. The specialty retailer of women's apparel, accessories and related products sells its wares via 1,250 boutiques and outlets throughout the U.S., e-commerce websites (including mobile), and print catalogs.

A deep understanding of its target customer has allowed Chico's to better serve their needs, and as a result they've become more loyal to the retailer. This is just one of the many factors that led Chico's to post these impressive numbers in its latest fiscal year:

• net income of $180.2 million, an increase of 27.9 percent compared to net income of $140.9 million in fiscal 2011;
• 101 new store openings, a square footage increase of 8.1 percent; and
• gross margin of $56.25 million, compared to gross margin of $55.84 million in fiscal 2011.

Chico's is implementing several strategic initiatives this year to help it ensure future growth. The company will be investing a significant amount of time and resources into bolstering its omnichannel capabilities; it will be expanding internationally, with plans in place to open its first brick-and-mortar stores in Canada; and Boston Proper will be debuting brick-and-mortar stores. — Joe Keenan

#39 Crocs
Recently celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2012, Crocs has proved to be more than just a fashion trend. The retailer has now sold more than 200 million pairs of shoes worldwide, surpassing the $1 billion dollar revenue mark in late 2011.

Founded in 2002, Crocs started as a seller of a clog shoe made of Croslite material, which makes the shoe suitable for both land and water. It was long after the shoe hit store shelves that the brand became popular and a unique niche of customers was found.

Over the last decade, Crocs' footwear line has expanded from traditional clogs to flip-flops, sandals and, most recently, sneakers. In addition to expanding its merchandise, Crocs has capitalized on its success by creating companies that replicated the "Crocs lifestyle." Jibbitz, a Crocs' accessories brand, and Ocean Minded, an apparel brand that supports a green lifestyle, have both contributed to Crocs' footwear fame.

Initially an an online-only brand, Crocs expanded to brick-and-mortar with the opening of its first storefront in Boulder, Colo. in 2009. Since then, Crocs has continued to innovate and expand its reach across multiple platforms, including a strong social media presence and growing mobile offerings.

Below are highlights from Crocs' 2012 fiscal year:

• revenue of $1.12 billion, a 12 percent increase over the prior fiscal year;
• net income increased 17 percent compared to the prior year period; and
• gross margin increased to 54.1 percent. — Caitlin Sullivan

#59 Pier 1 Imports
It's hard to believe that just a few years ago Pier 1 Imports was in danger of filing for bankruptcy. According to Forbes, the specialty home furnishings retailer has now posted 14 consecutive quarters with stock increases, despite difficult economic times. Its secret? A well-executed omnichannel marketing strategy.

"Our goal at Pier 1 Imports is to provide our customers with the best shopping experience possible, and this includes making it easy for them to find the Pier 1 Imports products they love, no matter where or how they shop," said Laura Coffey, senior vice president of business development and strategic planning for Pier 1 Imports, in a company press release.

After spending the last five years focusing on its brick-and-mortar stores, Pier 1 relaunched its e-commerce site in July 2012, followed by the launch of its mobile-optimized site a month later. The timing wasn't a coincidence; it was done to offer consumers a seamless shopping experience across the channels.

Here are some highlights from Pier 1 Imports' 2012 fiscal year:

• total sales for the fiscal year increased 9.5 percent;
• comparable store sales increased 11.3 percent in the fourth quarter; and
• the company announced its three-year growth plan, including investing $200 million in capital over the next three years.

2013 looks like it's going to continue the positive momentum for Pier 1. The retailer plans to improve upon its omnichannel efforts by implementing new point-of-sale technology throughout its 1,000-plus storefronts by July of this year. — Caitlin Sullivan

#72 Sally Beauty Supply
Despite a less-than-stellar economic climate, retailers in the beauty industry have been on an impressive run as of late. A March report by The NPD Group found that prestige beauty sales (i.e., beauty products sold mainly in U.S. department stores) posted a 7 percent gain in 2012, generating $10.2 billion in sales. Sally Beauty Supply, an international specialty retailer and distributor of professional beauty supplies, was able to tap into that marketplace.

Through its Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group businesses, the company sells and distributes its products via 4,500 stores, including approximately 200 franchised units, throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Chile, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ireland, Spain and Germany. Sally Beauty Supply stores offer more than 6,000 products for hair, skin and nail care, as well as proprietary merchandise. Beauty Systems Group stores, branded as CosmoProf or Armstrong McCall stores, along with its outside sales consultants, sell up to 9,800 professionally branded products targeted exclusively for professional and salon use and resale to their customers. Here are some highlights from Sally Beauty Holdings' 2012 fiscal year, according to its website:

• net sales of $3.5 billion, an increase of 7.8 percent compared to $3.3 billion in fiscal year 2011;
• net earnings of of $233.1 million, a 9 percent increase over fiscal year 2011; and
• same-store sales increased by 6.4 percent over last year. — Melissa Campanelli

#91 West Marine
West Marine, the world's largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has grown a lot from its humble beginnings as West Coast Ropes, a seller of nylon rope that was started in founder and current chairman Randy Repass' Sunnyvale, Calif. garage in 1968. Today, the company has 300 company-operated stores located in 38 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and five franchised stores located in Turkey. In addition, West Marine's direct-to-consumer division includes a call center, print catalogs and e-commerce website.

The company sells more than 75,000 products, from the rope that started it all to the latest in marine electronics, technical apparel, footwear and accessories. West Marine also has a Port Supply wholesale division, which is one of the largest wholesale distributors of marine equipment. It serves boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and government agencies. Here are some highlights from West Marine's 2012 fiscal year, according to its website:

• net revenues were $675.3 million, an increase of 4.9 percent compared to net revenues of $643.4 million for fiscal year 2011;
• net income of $15.5 million, a 15 percent increase over fiscal year 2011;comparable store sales increased 3.3 percent compared to fiscal year 2011; and
• the company remained debt free, with $91.7 million available under its revolving credit facility.

It appears the good times will very likely continue for West Marine in 2013. The retailer announced in April that it was named by Forbes as one of "America's 100 Most Trustworthy Companies" for the second year in a row. — Melissa Campanelli