The retailer posted earnings per share of 26 cents, which met analyst expectations, but didn't exceed them. Based on first quarter sales, Dollar Tree gave new second quarter guidance of 25 cents per share to 26 cents per share.

"The decline is clearly the result of disappointing sales," says Dollar Tree president and CEO Bob Sasser. He blames the poor sales on bad weather, which impacted Easter holiday sales, and high gasoline prices.

Sasser says that Dollar Tree is focused on improving and increasing the average store ticket since its customers are making fewer trips because of high gas prices. Moreover, the retailer expects Memorial Day sales and its new promotion "100 Days of Summer" to be successful. In particular, Dollar Tree's exclusive luau merchandise is a big hit with customers, he says.

During the first quarter, Dollar Tree opened 65 stores, closed 9 stores, and expanded or relocated 30 stores for a total of 2,791 stores in 48 states.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.

Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.