West Marine's Q1 sales rise

Watsonville, Calif. West Marine said sales in its first quarter rose 8.5%, and the company is seeing more demand for bigger-ticket items such as boats and motors.

The company is also seeing signs that more people are preparing to use their boats this year, said CEO Geoff Eisenberg.

The company is also seeing signs that more people are preparing to use their boats this year, said CEO Geoff Eisenberg.

For the period ending April 3, the company's sales were $109.6 million, up from $101 million in the same period last year.

Same-store sales rose 8.4%. The company said the impact of stores closed during 2009 and the first quarter of the year hurt revenue by $3.9 million.

The company said the bulk of the closures were due to West Marine's efforts to optimize its real estate.

Eisenberg noted that unseasonably mild weather during the northeast in March also helped boost sales, while cold weather in the southeast hurt sales.

West Marine is the largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories with 334 company-owned stores in 38 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. It has two franchised stores in Turkey.