Breitling Chronomat Evolution BT-204

Troubled jewelry retailer Zale Corp. managed to post a shiny sales increase in the 2010 holiday season, the company said Tuesday, after several years of dwindling sales.

In fact, the entire jewelry industry Breitling Chronomat Evolution BT-203 last Christmas, with both Tiffany & Co. and Signet Jewelers Ltd. reporting even bigger sales gains. Both companies were pummeled during the worst of the recession but notched modest increases in the 2009 holiday period.

Zale, the third-largest U.S. jewelry retailer, said sales at stores open at least a year rose 7.5% in November and December, after currency adjustments. Last year, sales dropped 12% during the same period. Holiday sales account for the majority of the company's profit and almost 50% of its sales.

Zale's overall revenue for the two-Breitling Chronomat Evolution BT-204 period totaled $533.1 million, up 8% from $493.7 million last year.

"This was a successful first year in a multi-year turnaround," said Matt Appel, chief financial officer for Zale, which is based in Irving, Texas.

Tiffany reported that its world-wide sales rose 10% in the two-month holiday shopping season; same-store sales rose 8%, adjusted for currency fluctuations. The company didn't Breitling Chronomat Quartz Chrono BT-223 results for its U.S. stores only. The jewelry retailer raised its earnings forecast range by about 10 cents per share as a result, to a range of $2.83-$2.88.

Meanwhile, Signet Jewelers Ltd., which operates Kay Jewelers in the U.S., said revenue in stores open at least a year rose 8.1% during the nine weeks ended Jan. 1, helped Breitling Chronomat Quartz Chrono BT-224 strong U.S. sales, which jumped 11.7%.

Last year, Zale's dismal holiday performance led the company to fire its chief executive, Neal Goldberg, and two other top executives.