West 49 Inc., Canada's action sport retailer, reported net sales increased 1.7% for the five weeks ended January 3, to Canadian $34.9 million ($28.5 million) from a year ago. The higher sales were driven primarily by growth in comparable store sales of 1.3% on a consolidated basis. Comparable store sales for the company's core West 49 banner were up 0.1%.


“When the consumer was ready to spend, the exceptional strength of our brands and our competitive pricing brought them to us,” said Sam Baio, chief executive officer of West 49 Inc. “After a dismal November and a poor start to the Holiday selling season, we had an extraordinary final two weeks in the period, including the week of Christmas and Boxing Week. Despite the challenging economic environment, our merchandising and pricing strategies yielded growth in comparable store sales.”


For the fourth quarter-to-date, or the ten week period ended January 3, 2009, sales were down 0.5% to Canadian $54.8 million ($44.7 million). Quarter-to-date consolidated comparable store sales were down 0.9% compared to the year before, with the West 49 banner's comparable store sales declining by 1.7%.

West 49 Inc. expects to report its fiscal 2009 audited year end financial results in April. As at January 3, the company operated 134 stores in nine provinces, under the banners West 49, Billabong, Off The Wall, Amnesia/Arsenic, D-Tox and Duke's Northshore, as well as two ecommerce sites, www.shop.west49.com and www.boardzone.com.