Holiday sales jump 5.2% at Belk

Strong e-commerce growth and omnichannel contributed to a healthy holiday shopping sales season at Belk.

The nation’s largest family owned and operated fashion department store company reported a 5.2% increase in sales for the nine-week period ending Jan. 3. Same store sales for the same period increased by 4.8%.

“Holiday sales got off to a strong start through the Thanksgiving weekend with positive momentum continuing through December,” said Tim Belk, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our customers responded well to our sales promotions and store assortments, and our online sales increased by 44%. We were encouraged by the lift in trend during the November/December period.”

In the third quarter, months after announcing a major upgrade in its e-commerce capabilities, Belk reported that its online sales grew 46%. The company said total sales for the 13-week period were $859.5 million, or 0.1% below the prior-year period. Same store sales were down 0.8%. Year-to-date sales increased 0.2 % to $2.72 billion compared to the same 39-week period last year. Same store sales declined 0.1%, while e-commerce sales grew 44% for the period.

N.C.-based Belk Inc. has 299 stores located in 16 Southern states.