Build-A-Bear web sales grow 17% in Q3

Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. is reporting a 16.8% increase in web sales for the third quarter while total sales rose by 20.8%.

For Q3, Build-A-Bear posted web sales of $1.6 million, compared with e-commerce revenue of about $1.37 million in the same quarter in the prior year. Total Q3 sales were $101.5 million vs. $84 million in Q3 2005.

Build-A-Bear, No. 400 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide to Retail Web Sites, also completed the transition to new internal distribution center. "We are pleased with our earnings results for the quarter and the progress we made integrating our United Kingdom acquisition and the opening of our distribution center,” says Build-A-Bear chairman and chief executive officer Maxine Clark.

The distribution center will employ approximately 100 employees. Build-A-Bear’s capital expenditures associated with the new distribution center totaled approximately $24 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop previously utilized three distribution centers operated by third-party providers. The new center is located near Columbus, Ohio.