ANN - Ann Taylor Stores Look Flat, Inventory Could be An Issue

Over the past week, we surveyed Ann Taylor locations to gauge business trends at the teen retailer. We asked the following questions: 1.On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being best how would you say business is at your store now? 2.Do you have any excess inventory that will go on sale soon? 3.Do you believe the weak housing market and economy are hurting sales at your store? 4.What is the average customer bill? 52% of respondents reported that business was “average” (3) while 48% saw business at their location as “above average” (4). We generally view average responses as slightly negative. 52% of respondents reported that they did have excess inventory that would soon go on sale. These respondents all cited summer dresses or high end summer dresses as being in excess supply. 48% of respondents said they did not hold any excess inventory. 56% of respondents believe that the economy and the problems in the housing market are hurting sales at their location. 44% did not believe those factors were impacting sales. This response rate is higher than what we have seen at broader based retailers such as Target, Walmart, Sears, etc. The average customer bill was reported as being $95.64 with a range of of responses between $35 on the low end and $250 on the high end.

ANN - Ann Taylor Stores Look Flat, Inventory Could be An Issue

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