Shoe Carnival's Q2 online comparable sales surge

As of June 22, 2020, Shoe Carnival, Inc. has re-opened all but one of its 390 stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For the fiscal second quarter-to-date, the company said in a statement that it has experienced stronger than expected sales with comparable store sales up 28.1 percent compared to the prior year, with brick and mortar comparable sales up 4 percent and e-commerce comparable sales increasing nearly 470 percent.

“The first half of fiscal 2020 ushered in an unprecedented operating landscape for our business. As we have slowly re-emerged with heightened safety procedures, we have welcomed back our customers to stores, and as a result, fiscal second quarter-to-date sales have exceeded our expectations. While there are still many unknowns, we are encouraged by these more than positive sales trends,” said Cliff Sifford, Shoe Carnival’s Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

However, the company added that while it is encouraged by the strong sales performance quarter-to-date, it does anticipate gross margin headwinds for the second quarter as a result of mix and increased shipping charges associated with higher e-commerce sales.