Destination Maternity reports improved Q1 results on lower sales

Philadelphia Destination Maternity Corp. said Thursday that its net income for the 2010 first quarter ended Dec. 31 was $1.3 million, compared with a net loss of $46.9 million in the year-ago period.

Net sales for the quarter dipped 0.8% to $133.8 million, from $134.8 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2009. The sales dip was attributed to a decrease in comp-store sales partially offset by better performance from the retailer’s leased department relationships, increased Internet sales and increased sales from international franchise relationships.

Comp-store sales decreased 5.9% during the first quarter, compared with a decrease of 0.5% a year ago.