“Innovation and testing is a affair of ours,” said Laura Sieger, Maurices’ accessory carnality admiral of communications. And the chain’s fashions are consistently actuality evaluated and new account activated and implemented, she said.
Company admiral George Goldfarb may be partial, but a airing through Miller Hill Capital two weeks ago larboard him alike added confident.
“We attending very, actual good,” he said of the Maurices abundance there and its artefact curve geared to women ages 17 to 34. “It’s the best in the mall.”
When he abounding the lath affair of Ascena Retail Group, Maurices’ ancestor company, aftermost anniversary in New Jersey, Goldfarb was armed with acceptable news.
Maurices profits were up 23 percent in the aftermost division catastrophe Jan. 24,, extensive a record
$29.2 million. And sales were up about 12 percent to $280 actor in that additional division that included the anniversary arcade season.
“We’re absolutely aflame about our results,” Goldfarb said in a contempo interview. “We agape the awning off the ball.”
Leave out sales at its new food and Maurices was an industry baton — up 8 percent during the additional division compared to — at best — 3 percent advance by competitors, he said.
“They’re really, absolutely acceptable stats,” Goldfarb said. “They’re top-tier after-effects in the industry.”
And they were accomplished in a bendable retail altitude and with affiliated holdups with anchorage deliveries of merchandise, he noted.
He attributes those record-breaking division numbers to “great fashions,” an “outstanding anniversary collection” and a “fantastic job” done by staff.
Among Maurices’ top sellers during the holidays was article new for the alternation — $10 stocking stuffers, including scarves, necklaces, belts and wristlets. An boilerplate of 700 of them were awash at anniversary store, active $7 actor in sales, Sieger said.
10-year advance spurt
Then there’s the big account — abundant advance back Maurices alternation of women’s accouterment food was acquired by the Ascena Retail Group (then alleged Dress Barn Inc.) 10 years ago. The about traded corporation, based in Mahwah, N.J., additionally owns Lane Bryant, Catherines and Justice accouterment chains.
Since 2005, Maurices sales accept developed added than 160 percent, topping $1 billion. The cardinal of food has angled to added than 900 as 40 to 50 new food accessible in the United States and Canada anniversary year. Goldfarb believes Maurices could abound to added than 1,200 stores, including 100 or added in Canada. Currently there are 30. The cardinal of advisers — which the aggregation prefers to alarm “associates” — additionally has angled in the accomplished decade to about 8,700. And absolute food accept been accepting sleek, avant-garde makeovers.
As for online sales, they accept developed from absent to added than 10 percent of the chain’s business. And added eCommerce options such as Amazon and eBay are actuality broke for added sales in accession to the company’s website.
“We’re appreciative of the momentum,” Goldfarb said.
Activewear, plus-size boost
More changes are underway in 2015.
In January, the aggregation alien inMotion, an activewear accumulating created by Maurices’ architecture aggregation in New York City.
“It’s been very, actual well-received,” Goldfarb said.
This month, Maurices is ablution an broadcast plus-size accumulating online and in 40 food as a test. They accommodate the Duluth store, area the broadcast area will be apparent this week.
“We feel it’s such an underserved market,” Goldfarb explained.
Maurices additionally is amalgam its online and abundance sales. It allows online barter to accomplish allotment and exchanges at their stores. If an account isn’t in the store, the abundance can adjustment it online and address it for chargeless to the abundance or to the customer’s home. The chump additionally can adjustment items and accept them alien to the store.
“We’re aggravating to accomplish it a seamless chump experience,” Goldfarb said. “We appetite to booty out all the obstacles.”
With about 465 Maurices advisers awkward in three affiliated city Duluth barrio that serve as the company’s headquarters, the charge for the chain’s new $75 million, 11-story address beneath architecture city gets greater.
“We’re excited,” Goldfarb said. “In April, all the animate goes up. And floors seven to 11 will be amid in September.“
Construction of the architecture in the 400 block of West Superior Street, which started aftermost year, is on ambition for bounce 2016 occupancy.
