Children's Place sees increase in April, 1Q sales

SECAUCUS, N.J. The Children's Place Retail Stores announced net sales of $135 million for the four-week period ended May 2, a 5% increase compared to net sales of $128.7 million for the four-week period ended May 3, 2008. Comparable-retail sales, which include online sales, increased 5% in April on top of a 17% increase for the same period last year. During April 2009, comparable-store sales increased 4% in the United States and declined 4% in Canada, and online sales increased 40%.

For the first quarter ended May 2, net sales increased slightly to $401.9 million. Comparable-retail sales, which include online sales, increased 1% during the first quarter of 2009 on top of a 6% increase during the first quarter of last year. For the first quarter of 2009, comparable-store sales declined 1% in the United States and declined 3% in Canada, and online sales increased 42%.

The company is estimating that earnings per share from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2009 will be in the range of 75 cents to 80 cents.