Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (Union, N.J.) reported a 33.8 percent increase in net earnings for its fiscal third quarter ended Nov. 29, 2003.
Net sales jumped 25.5 percent and same-store sales grew by 6.4 percent.
For the fiscal nine months ended November 29, 2003, net earnings increased 29.6 percent, net sales were up 21.6 percent and same-store sales were up 5.6 percent.
As of November 29, there were 569 Bed Bath & Beyond stores operating in 44 states and Puerto Rico, including 55 new stores opened during the fiscal third quarter. Total retail space has increased 11.2 percent since the end of fiscal 2002, based on 79 new stores opened during the period. The expectation is that seven additional Bed Bath & Beyond stores will be opened before the end of the company's fiscal year on Feb. 28, 2004.