TOKYO -- Casual clothes chain operator Shimamura likely earned a 38 billion yen ($325 million) group operating profit for the March-November period, up about 20% on the year, as sales of winter clothes and baby items propelled the Japanese company past an autumn slump.
Sales, including operating revenue, apparently grew 5% to around 430 billion yen. Domestic sales are seen rising 4.9%, especially at baby store Birthday, which likely achieved 25.1% growth. These increases, combined with a reduction in discount sales, look to land the retailer its first record profit for the nine-month period in four years.
