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El Segundo, Calif. Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. reported financial results on Thursday for the fiscal 2009 first quarter ended March 29.

For the fiscal 2009 first quarter, net sales were $210.3 million, compared with net sales of $212.9 million for the fiscal 2008 first quarter. Same-store sales declined 4.4% for the first quarter.

However, the company said it experienced an improvement in customer traffic and sales results during March, compared with the first two months of the quarter.

Net income for the fiscal 2009 first quarter was $2.8 million, compared with net income of $4.1 million for the fiscal 2008 first quarter.

As of the end of the quarter, Big 5 operated 381 stores. The company said it anticipates opening one new store during the fiscal 2009 second quarter and continues to expect the number of new store openings in fiscal 2009 to be substantially lower than fiscal 2008.