Online sales drop 17.1% in second quarter at Design Within Reach

Online sales declined by about 17.1% in the second quarter at contemporary furniture retailer Design Within Reach Inc., to $6.3 million from $7.6 million in Q2 2007. The web accounted for 13.3% of the company’s sales in the latest quarter vs. 15.5% a year ago.

By comparison, the company’s overall net sales, including stores and by phone, declined 3.7% from $49.1 million in the year-ago quarter to $47.3 million in the second quarter this year. Store sales increased 2.2% in Q2 from $31.9 million to $32.6 million.

For the first six months of the year, the company’s online sales fell 12.5% to $12.6 million from $14.4 million. Net sales increased 1.4% to $94.2 million from $92.9 million. The biggest gain came in store sales, up 5.8% to $63.9 million, attributed in part to the addition of three stores in the past year. The company now operates 68 stores, or studios, plus one outlet.

Design Within Reach is No. 263 in the .
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