Total Retail's Top 100 Fastest-Growing Retailers: Tillys Posts Sales and Operating Income Gains

Tillys is a specialty retailer in the action sports industry selling clothing, shoes and accessories. Founded in 1982 with a single store in Southern California, Tillys has grown to 225 stores in 33 states. Tillys also sells it products, primarily surf, skate, motocross and lifestyle apparel, through its e-commerce site, mobile site and app, and catalogs. (Tillys ranked No. 71 on Total Retail’s seventh annual ranking of the 100 fastest-growing retailers based on year-over-year net sales.)

2016 marked the sixth consecutive year — every year since it filed for an IPO — that Tillys has reported a year-over-year sales gain. The Irvine, Calif.-based retailer also saw its net earnings surge by more than 50 percent in 2016.

“We finished fiscal 2016 with three consecutive quarters of year-over-year operating income growth and our first annual improvement in operating income in the last five years,” stated Ed Thomas, president and chief executive officer, Tillys, in a company press release announcing its full year 2016 results. “Our strong balance sheet enabled us to reward shareholders with a $20 million special dividend in February. While we’re encouraged by these results, we will continue to seek ways to improve profitability and continue our progress during fiscal 2017.”