Harry Potter casts spell on 2007 e-commerce sales at Books-A-Million
Books-A-Million Inc. logged a 5.6% drop in its e-commerce sales for fiscal 2007. For the year ended Feb. 3, 2007, the company reported $26 million in net sales compared to $27.6 million in fiscal 2006.
The company attributed the loss to unmatched 2006 sales of “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” the most recent in the hugely popular fictional series chronicling the exploits of the now-teenage wizard.
Books-A-Million, No. 209 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, also reported operating profit of $1.4 million from its e-commerce site, BooksAMillion.com, up 36% from $1.02 million the previous year. E-commerce accounts for 5% of the company’s business.
“Several book categories performed well. Fiction, graphic novels, religion, teen reading, politics, and diet and health all delivered solid growth,” says Sandra B. Cochran, president and CEO. “These successes were offset by tough comparisons in the children’s book category, driven by the phenomenal sales of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘Harry Potter’ in the prior year,” she adds.
Books-A-Million’s retail segment business, comprising 206 stores in 26 states and the District of Columbia, notched sales of $512.9 million, up 3% compared to 2006 sales of $496.6 million.
Books-A-Million reported overall sales of $520.4 million for the year ended Feb. 3, 2007, a 3% increase compared to $503.7 million in fiscal 2006.
Back...
