Hibbett Sporting Goods, Inc. net sales for the second quarter increased 11.0% to $104.4 million from $94.0 million for last year’s quarter. Comparable store sales increased 0.6% in the second quarter of fiscal 2007.
Net sales for the 26 weeks ended July 29, 2006, increased 10.7% to $231.3 million from $208.8 million for the 26 weeks ended July 30, 2005. Comparable store sales increased 0.4% in the first half of fiscal 2007. The Company opened a net of 12 stores during the second quarter, bringing the chain to 572 stores.
Based on these sales results, the company now expects to report net income per diluted share of 12 cents to 13 cents versus the previous guidance for the second quarter of 14 cents to 16 cents per diluted share including equity award expenses.
Mickey Newsome, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Our sales results reflect a shift in sales during the last two weeks of the second quarter into the third quarter that was nearly twice what we had expected. The state of Georgia moved its tax-free shopping holidays from late July to early August, while Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia introduced tax-free holidays for the first time in early August. During the first 10 days of the third quarter, our comparable store sales increased approximately 11%, which reinforces our belief that the timing of these tax-free holidays and their influence on consumer buying behavior had a more pronounced effect on the second quarter than we had originally anticipated.”
