Outdoor financials: Forzani reports strong back-to-school sales, plus Deckers

Forzani reports strong ‘back to school’ sales
For the back-to-school selling season, the Forzani Group Ltd. (TSX: FGL), Canada’s largest national retailer of sporting goods, reported retail system sales for the six-week period increased 7.0 percent over the same period last year. Without the year’s addition of The Fitness Source, retail system sales were up 5.8 percent. The company said that overall same store sales for the six-week period ended Sept. 10, 2006, increased 4.3 percent. Corporate same store sales were up 2.3 percent, with footwear sales outpacing hardgoods and apparel. Margins in all banners, which include Sport Chek, Coast Mountain Sports, Sport Mart, and National Sports, continue to be stronger than in the prior year, it said. Corporate same store gross margin dollar increases outpaced the related sales improvement as they rose 6.5 percent over the prior year.

Deckers ranks on Fortune’s 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list
Amid the energy and biotech firms, Deckers Outdoor (Nasdaq: DECK) ranked No. 24 on Fortune’s 2006 list of the 100 Fastest-Growing Companies — the only outdoor-oriented company on the list. The parent company of Teva, Simple and Uggs saw profits rise at a rate of 99 percent and revenues grow 43 percent with a stock return of 81 percent on average annually over the past three years. The company ranked 15 on the 2005 list. To see the full list, click here.

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