Marisa review and will open fewer stores this year

Marisa clothing retailer reduced the plan to open stores this year from 51 to 42 new units. The company, which reported weak second-quarter performance, is also reviewing the growth strategy for 2014.
In a conference call with analysts and investors yesterday, the President, Marcio Goldfarb, said the company will concentrate efforts on improving the performance of existing units, rather than openings. Has not yet been presented to the Board of Directors the goal of inaugurations to 2014. Today, Marisa is now 380 units.
Despite the sales in July were "very good," Goldfarb said he sees a market "more restrictive" in the second half of the year. "We have to go through it and we are changing tactics," said the entrepreneur.
Marisa redirected part of the investment of new shops to revitalize and upgrade old units 19. In many of them, there was the shoe category, an initiative to leverage sales per square meter.
In line with estimates and analysts consulted by the value, Marisa reported net income of $ 38.8 million in the second quarter, indentation of 19% over the same period last year. The net revenue of the company, on the same comparison, advanced just over 7% to r $ 744,6 million.
The growth of Marisa in the period was less than the reported by Hering and Guararapes (owner of the Riachuelo). Renner and Restoque has (owner of Le Lis Blanc), two other competitors listed by the company, will announce the quarterly results today.
Same store sales (units open more than a year) of the company rose 0.6%. The June demonstrations had 5 percent impact on sales of comparable units, said Goldfarb.
The businessman said that the company is now betting on a different mix in price, without compromising margins of operation.
In the second quarter, the Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of the company grew by 1.6%, to R $ 122,6 million.
The final gain of the company was adversely affected by an increase of 43.2% in net financial expense, which reached r $ 28 million in the second quarter. Investments in opening stores reduced the company's box and, consequently, the financial income.
Launched last year, the company's direct sales channel has been surpassing the company's expectations, said Arquimedes Sales, Director of financial products and services of Marisa. However, sales of the channel should only become relevant to the total revenue in two or three years.
According to Sales, Marisa reached 10 thousand consultants. "It is a strategic channel for penetration of trademark Marisa in smaller squares that do not contain a shop".