Strong brands in competitive markets

Article Excerpt

REITMANS (CANADA) LTD. $17.14 (Toronto symbol RET.A; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514- 384-1140; www.reitmans.com; Shares outstanding: 66.3 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; Dividend yield: 4.7%) owns 968 women’s clothing stores across Canada. The chain consists of 364 Reitmans, 161 Penningtons, 158 Smart Set, 121 Addition Elle, 75 Thyme Maternity, 67 RW & Co. and 22 Cassis stores. Reitmans continues to actively monitor its regional markets, and open and close stores as necessary. In 2010, it opened 31 new stores and closed 40. In the three months ended January 29, 2011, sales rose slightly, to $269.5 million from $268.1 million a year earlier. Earnings fell 19.1%, to $11.4 million, or $0.17 a share, from $14.1 million, or $0.21 a share. The company’s profit margins fell, because it was forced to offer discounts to clear out old merchandise. That was the main reason for the earnings decline. The discounted sales also offset gains from a strong Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar…