FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 9, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tandy Leather Factory, Inc. (Nasdaq:TLF) reported today that sales for the month of September were $6.3 million, up 9% compared to September 2013 sales of $5.8 million. Year to date sales are up 4% to $59.1 million in the current year from $56.9 million last year.
Retail Leathercraft's sales rose 12% to $3.9 million compared to September 2013 sales of $3.4 million. The 76 comparable stores' sales were up 10% for the month compared to the same period last year. The four stores opened since September 2013 added September sales of $138,000. Year-to-date sales for Retail Leathercraft are $36.3 million this year, a 7% increase over sales of $34.0 million for the same period of 2013. As of the end of September, the 76 comparable stores' sales were up 5% compared to sales reported for the same period in 2013.
Wholesale Leathercraft posted sales of $2.1 million for September, up 2% compared to September 2013 sales of $2.0 million. Within the Wholesale Leathercraft division, the wholesale stores' sales were up 7% compared to September 2013 sales while National Account group sales were down 100%, or $85,000, as sales to this customer group ended in April. For the year to date, Wholesale Leathercraft sales are $19.7 million, down 2% from the same period of 2013. As of the end of September, the wholesale same store sales were up 2% compared to sales last year while the National Account group's sales were down 66%.
International Leathercraft reported September sales of $340,000, up 10% compared to September 2013 sales of $309,000. For the year to date, International Leathercraft sales were $3.1 million compared to $2.9 million in 2013, up 8%. All three stores in the segment have been opened for both periods, so same store sales for the month and year to date were the same as the segment's sales.
Chief Executive Officer and President, Jon Thompson, commented, "Our September sales built on the momentum from August with the majority of our stores performing very well. With the release of our annual catalog last week and the new products in the stores, that momentum should continue as we move through the fourth quarter. Our stores are stocked with more leather than ever before which is being well received by our customers."
Shannon L. Greene, Chief Financial Officer added, "We met our internal target for third quarter sales, achieving a 5% gain for the quarter. We believe we are well positioned as we begin the fourth quarter for a strong finish to the year. Our goal for the fourth quarter is to sell as much inventory as we can, without negatively affecting gross margin."
Tandy Leather Factory, Inc., (http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com), headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a specialty retailer and wholesale distributor of a broad product line including leather, leatherworking tools, buckles and adornments for belts, leather dyes and finishes, saddle and tack hardware, and do-it-yourself kits. The Company distributes its products through its 29 Leather Factory stores, located in 19 states and 3 Canadian provinces, 80 Tandy Leather retail stores, located in 36 states and 6 Canadian provinces, and three combination wholesale/retail stores located in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Spain. Its common stock trades on the Nasdaq with the symbol "TLF". To be included on Tandy Leather Factory's email distribution list, go to http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1625&to=ea&s=0.
This news release may contain statements regarding future events, occurrences, circumstances, activities, performance, outcomes and results that are considered "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results and events may differ from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: changes in general economic conditions, negative trends in general consumer-spending levels, failure to realize the anticipated benefits of opening retail stores; availability of hides and leathers and resultant price fluctuations; change in customer preferences for our product, and other factors disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and except as required by law, we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.