NATICK, Mass. — BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. (NYSE: BJ) today reported that total sales for December 2009 increased by 9.4% to $1.16 billion, from $1.06 billion in December 2008. On a comparable club basis, sales increased by 4.8% for the month of December, including a positive impact from sales of gasoline of 2.1%. Excluding gasoline sales, merchandise comparable club sales increased by 2.7% in December. A severe snow storm affecting more than half the chain during weeks three and four had a negative impact on merchandise comparable club sales of approximately 2% to 2.5%.
The Company provided the following additional information regarding comparable club sales for December 2009:
Sales increased during all five weeks with the strongest increase in week two.
Sales increased in all regions with the highest increases in the Southeast and Upstate New York regions and the lowest increase in the Mid Atlantic region.
Excluding sales of gasoline, traffic increased by approximately 4% and the average transaction amount decreased by approximately 1%.
Sales of food increased by approximately 5% and general merchandise sales were approximately flat to last year.
Merchandise categories with the strongest sales increases compared to last year included apparel, breakfast foods, cigarettes, cookies & crackers, domestics, electronics, frozen foods, health and beauty aids, household chemicals, housewares, juices, paper products, pet foods, prepared foods, produce, salty snacks, soda, software and video games. Merchandise categories with the largest sales decreases versus last year included automotive & tools, camera accessories, jewelry, televisions, toys, trash bags and prerecorded video.
The Company currently operates 186 BJ’s Wholesale clubs in 15 states. BJ’s introduced the wholesale club concept to New England in 1984 and has since expanded to become a leading warehouse chain in the eastern United States. BJ’s press releases and filings with the SEC are available on the Internet at www.bjs.com.
Fourth Quarter and Year-end Conference Call Scheduled for March 3, 2010
On Wednesday, March 3, 2010, BJ’s management plans to announce the Company’s financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending January 30, 2010. Also on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, the Company plans to hold a conference call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss fourth quarter and full year results. To access the webcast, visit www.bjsinvestor.com/events.cfm. An archive of the webcast will be available for approximately 90 days.
Source: BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc.