Vans Lists Record Quarterly Profits Again

An increased distribution network and more aggressive marketing effort gave Vans Inc. a second consecutive quarter of record profits in its fiscal third period, with net earnings of $1.5 million, or 15 cents a share, compared to $145,000 a year earlier, the company said Wednesday.

The Orange-based manufacturer, distributor and retailer of casual footwear also reported record third-quarter sales of $19.7 million in the period ended March 1, up 28% from $15.4 million in the same period the year before.

Sales of Vans’ shoes are usually slow during the winter months--especially in cold weather markets--but company officials say they have benefited from the marketing push and from consumers’ recession-driven move toward lower-priced products.

“We attribute this 100% to the quality and value of the product,” said Jerome J. Gross, Vans vice president of corporate development. “It’s a fundamental difference in the consumer buying behavior away from the conspicuous consumption of the 1980s.”

Analysts have said that the company has also been able to respond quickly to consumer tastes, turning out a new product in nine days while other footwear makers can take up to four months.

The company’s profits for the nine-month period ending March 1 were $3.1 million, compared to $1 million in the same period a year before. This year’s profits were reduced by the $4.8-million cost of the company’s public offering in August. Sales during the period were $66.4 million, up 36% from $48.9 million in the same period a year before.