What consumer groups are driving the Shoe Carnival business today?
ML: The female consumer drives the business on an overall basis. They buy our products for their children, for their significant others, for themselves. We do a really good job with the children’s business. But moms are buying the majority of the children’s shoes. So we direct our advertising primarily to women ages 18 to 49. FN: Are you concerned that once the economy rebounds people will want to buy up-channel again? ML: There’s a certain portion of the consumer base that may leave the moderate channel. But more important, there has been a shift in the consumer mindset from the conspicuous consumption that we saw three years ago to what we’re seeing now. The whole consumer behavior pattern is shifting to more of a value proposition, and companies like ours are very strategically positioned to take advantage of that. FN: With so much competition in that price point, especially from Famous Footwear and DSW, how are you positioning Shoe Carnival to stand out? ML: In different ways with
