"Our fourth quarter comp-store growth outpaced the quarterly growth performance we achieved in the three previous quarters of 2004," notes Maxine Clark, chairman and "chief executive bear" of Build-A-Bear. "This growth reflects the success of our holiday efforts, the performance of our online business, and our ongoing brand-building strategies."
During the fourth quarter, the company opened six new Build-A-Bear stores in the United States and Canada, as compared with seven new stores during the same period a year ago, bringing the total number to 165 in the United States and five in Canada. In October, the company signed a franchise agreement to open Build-A-Bear stores in Sweden; other countries that already have the franchise are the U.K., Japan, Denmark, Australia, South Korea, France and Taiwan. During the quarter the company also opened its first two Friends 2B Made stores, a new interactive retail concept focused on making personalized dolls.
In 2005, the company says it plans to open 25 to 30 new Build-A-Bear stores, including a flagship store in New York City this summer. The company will also launch Build-A-Bear Workshop On Tour, a mobile store, in the first quarter. Build-A-Bear Workshop On Tour, an 800-sf store housed in a 53-foot trailer, will visit over 60 family-oriented events across the United States during the year.
Another bear retailer, though it doesn't operate through brick-and-mortar stores, also reports strong sales recently. The Vermont Teddy Bear Co., based in Shelburne, VT, reports that 28,000 Bear-Gram orders were ordered during the 2004 holiday period (Dec. 1 to Dec. 26), an 8% increase compared with the holiday period in 2003.
BearGrams are delivered as gifts in the same manor as flowers, and the company also operates PajamaGram, TastyGram and Calyx & Corolla gift products, all with a similar modus operandi. All together, the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. received about 105,000 orders for its various products, as compared to about 81,000 taken during the same period last year.
"Our success this holiday is entirely attributed to the organic growth of our four business segments," says CEO Elisabeth Robert. "The PajamaGram segment, launched from a mere idea in April 2002, is now larger than the flagship BearGram segment in numbers of orders for the Christmas selling season."
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