Sales at Noodle Kidoodle for the third quarter ended October 31 rose an impressive 46%, to $22.7 million. And although the retailer has not yet broken into the black, it reduced its net loss in the quarter to $1.6 million from $2.4 million in the similar period in fiscal 1998. Comparable store sales in the quarter were up 25%.
For the first nine months of fiscal 1999, sales increased 33%, to $59.1 million, with same store sales up 22%. The net loss was reduced to $4.1 million from $7.1 million.
The company opened 10 new stores during the year. Noodle Kidoodle chairman Stanley Greenman said he expects to open at least 10 more stores in 1999. The company currently has 42 outlets. In addition to expanding its store base, Noodle Kidoodle has also upgraded its Web site and has tripled the number of items available through the site (www.noodlekidoodle.com) to more than 900 selections. Greenman reported that sales over the Internet "are up substantially over last year." He also noted that overall sales at the beginning of the holiday season have been strong.
