5 retail winners

Strapped consumers are haunting retailers, but not all of them. These mid-tier companies are thriving in tough times through cost-cutting and innovative marketing.

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Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings
While most casual dining establishments reported dismal sales this summer, the Minneapolis chicken wings and beer chain took flight. The company's 2Q net income increased 46%, and same-store sales (revenues at locations that have been open for at least a year) rose 8.3% at corporate-owned restaurants. Lynne Collier, an analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets, pinned Buffalo Wild Wings' surprising success on factors including careful expense management and low-cost chicken. Buffalo Wild Wings could score even higher next quarter: The NFL season, a lucrative period for the sports bar and grill, is just getting started.
By Mina Kimes

NEXT: American Apparel
Last updated September 09 2008: 10:57 AM ET
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