Pier 1 pops in December

Momentum from Black Friday weekend continued through the holidays for Pier 1 Imports Inc.

The home furnishings retailer, which reported a disappointing third quarter in early November, reported an 8.2% increase in December same store sales. CEO Alex Smith said while sales in the third quarter were soft, November sales were strong versus a year ago, particularly over Thanksgiving weekend.

“We are pleased with our December sales performance,” Smith said. “Traffic to the brand was up nicely and sell-through on our holiday assortments was on plan. We are in the midst of our clearance efforts and beginning the transition to fresh spring looks in-store and online -- we believe the business is well-positioned as we head into the early spring selling season.”

Pier 1 will report full fourth-quarter results for its fiscal year ending Feb. 28 on April 8.