Buy Joseph A. Bank, Get A Double Free?

Effective advertising is supposed to infiltrate the brain and prompt it to make certain leaps automatically. Go up to somebody who watches a lot of CNBC or Bloomberg TV and say, "Buy one executive suit," and see if they do not reply with something like "get the second suit and a silk tie, free". Jos. A. Bank (Nasdaq:JOSB) is by no means the only apparel company to offer that sort of sale, but one way or another it seems to be working for the company.   

The Quarter That Was
Total sales for the fiscal second quarter rose more than 12%, as JOSB saw same-store sales rise over 9% and direct marketing sales increase better than 12%. It is difficult to say exactly what the secret sauce here is, particularly as the company is doing a fair bit better with growth than its larger (and perhaps better-known) rival, The Men's Wearhouse (NYSE:MW). The idea that value-priced retail fills a niche during tough times is nothing new, but Jos. A. Bank does seem to have figured out a working formula with its merchandising and pricing strategies. 



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