L.L. Bean’s spring season, which closed August 31, ended with an 8% increase in sales over last spring on strong performances in all channels: retail, catalog and web. Management said that both sales and profitability were “near record levels” for the season in spite of the economic slowdown caused by the corrections in the housing market.


As a result, L.L. Bean’s board of directors approved an employee bonus. Employees hired before February 26 will receive a cash gift of $165, and those hired after that date will receive prorated amounts. The gift will be paid to nearly 7,000 eligible employees.