Financial Analysis Essay

Company
Overview
Coldwater Creek Inc. is an apparel retailer with a specialty focus on women’s apparel, accessories, jewelry, and gift items (Coldwater Creek Annual Report, 2008). They are a multichannel specialty retailer utilizing two operating segments, retail and direct. The Coldwater
Creek Inc image reflects a lifestyle that is sophisticated, yet relaxed and casual. The products they offer specialize in colorful, quality materials that are easy to care for. Coldwater Creek clothing and accessories cover many aspects of the target audience lifestyle; career wear, casual clothing, and special occasion.
Coldwater Creek seeks to offer their customers a shopping experience that is unhurried, relaxed, and enjoyable (Coldwater Creek Annual Report, 2008). To achieve this image, customer service is fundamental to Coldwater Creek operations. This philosophy is embedded into the hiring, training, and performance management processes for their employees. It is reflected in their marketing processes through the design of their retail outlets, catalogs, and website as well as the utilization of an extensive, proprietary database of customer information.
History
Coldwater Creek was founded in 1984 (Coldwater Creek Annual Report, 2008). It began operations as a home based, mail-order business, with one phone and “a closet stuffed with merchandise” (www.coldwatercreek.com, Company Overview). The first catalogs were mailed in 1985 and the first retail store was opened in 1999. The e-commerce arm of Coldwater Creek began in July 1999 and offers all full-price merchandise available in their catalogs. By year-end
2008, Coldwater Creek had expanded to 348 retail stores and 35 merchandise clearance outlets with direct and retail sales generating $1.0 billion in net sales.
The headquarters for Coldwater Creek is based in Sandpoint, Idaho
(www.coldwatercreek.com, Company Overview). Customer Contact Centers are located in
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Mineral Wells, West Virginia, and Sandpoint, Idaho. A distribution center is located in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The retail presence of Coldwater Creek includes premium retail stores, merchandise outlets, and day spa locations. Coldwater creek opened a design studio in New York during 2004 to facilitate the design and development of all products

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