Tough Q3 for Pacific Sunwear and Francesca's

Pacific Sunwear of California and Francesca’s

reported third-quarter results in a week heavily weighted by the aftermaths of both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Black Friday will take place in Russia on Friday.

Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. announced Thursday net sales from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2013 ended November 2, 2013, came in at 206.6 million dollars compared to last year’s same period’s 215.5 million dollars.

As explained by the retailer and in line with other peers within the trade, the 53rd week retail calendar shift resulted in a decrease in net sales of approximately 11 million dollars for the third quarter, compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2012. Comparable store sales increased 1 percent in the three months to November.

"The third quarter marks our seventh consecutive quarter of positive comparable store sales and had there not been the 53 week calendar shift, our non-GAAP loss per diluted share would have been break-even compared to the 0.02 dollars loss last year," said Gary H. Schoenfeld, President and Chief Executive Officer commenting the results.

"As we transition into the peak holiday season, we have had a strong start in November with comparable store sales up 6 percent driven by a number of factors including: strength in our emerging brands and unique product assortment, colder weather, and strong Black Friday performance. Overall, we believe our results continue to validate the unique positioning we are establishing for PacSun as we strive to become the leading speciality retailer for great brands and on-trend fashion and fashion basics."

Elsewhere, Francesca's Holdings Corp.'s has not been able to reverse a tough third quarter with a rapid rhythm of openings. The women's fashion retailer noted a 20 percent decrease in net income on a year-on-year basis for the third quarter, down from 10.8 million dollars to 8.7 million dollars. As explained in a statement Thursday by CEO Neill David, this was due to lacklustre performance in the apparel tops and jewelry segments.