Defender’s sales up 20 percent
WATERFORD, Conn. – Defender Industries’s July sales were up 20.1 percent over 2005, continuing the double-digit sales gains for the 10th straight month, the company reported in a recent statement.
2006 sales through July for the discount marine supplier have increased 18.9 percent over record 2005 sales. This exceeds the increases of 16 percent in June and 18.7 percent posted in the first six months of 2006.
The sales channel that posted the largest gain was e-commerce, followed closely by catalog sales, according to the company. Most of Defender’s twenty major product categories contributed to the record sales, with the largest percentage increase in electrical and lighting products. Sales of inflatable boats and outboard motors posted the largest dollar increase, Defender reported.
“Given the current economic climate and recent announcements by some in the marine industry, we’re being cautious like most everyone else,” said Executive Director Al Knupp. “However, that’s how we operate every day. We’re not changing direction, we just keep concentrating on the basics. The vast majority of our orders ship the same day they’re placed with predictable and reliable delivery, and our customer satisfaction levels are at an all time high. Our margins also continue to increase, as they have steadily over the past five years.”
New catalog requests and unique website visitors had even stronger increases in July than the double-digit gains realized in the first half of the year, the company added.
“Without question, 2006 will be the third consecutive year of record sales, the fifth year in a row of solid growth, and the best in Defender’s 68 year history,” said Defender V.P. Stephan Lance.
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