Tilly’s saw net loss improve amid higher sales in the fiscal second quarter, thanks to the back to school season.

The clothing retailer’s net loss totaled $100,000 as net sales grew 1.8 per cent to $162.9 million.

Net sales from physical stores increased 2 per cent to $132.3 million, accounting for 81.3 per cent of total net sales.

Net sales from e-commerce stores climbed 1.3 per cent to $30.5 million, sharing 18.7 per cent of total net sales.

The company explained that the calendar shift impact of last year’s 53rd week in the retail calendar caused a portion of the back-to-school season’s sales volume to shift into the latter stages of the fiscal second quarter.

“We are encouraged to have started the third quarter with a positive comp in fiscal August, representing our first positive monthly comparable net sales result since February 2022,” said Hezy Shaked, Tilly’s co-founder, interim president and CEO.

“However, we remain cautious in our third quarter outlook as our business has begun to slow down following the peak of the back-to-school season, consistent with the trend pattern in recent years.”

For the fiscal third quarter, the company forecasts net sales to range from about $140 million to $146 million.

Tilly’s expects to have 246 stores operating at the end of the fiscal third quarter, down from 249 in the year-ago period.