Catalog Sales Pace Urban Outfitters Income Gain

Strong catalog and online sales helped lead Urban Outfitters to nearly double its second-quarter income.

The cataloger and retailer reported income of $6.3 million for the period ended July 31, a 98% gain over $3.2 million for the same quarter last year.

Quarterly sales for the firm rose by 26% to $101 million from $80.4 million for the comparable quarter in 2001.

The Philadelphia company attributed the results to a 61% increase in direct marketing sales. Those came from additional orders generated from the circulation of a new Anthropologie summer catalog this year and from continued strong sales from its Web site www.urbn.com.

Free People wholesale sales increased by 3% for the quarter compared to last year.

The firm also cited expense reductions as reasons for its income increases.