Express turns to subscription-based clothes rentals

The Columbus-based retailer Express will try a new way to win over shoppers this fall: Rent them clothing.

In its quarterly earnings call Wednesday, company officials said Express will launch Express Style Trial in October — a subscription-based clothing service initially targeted at women.

The program will offer a limited assortment of clothes for work and entertainment. Company officials provided few details, but in other such services, subscribers receive clothing each month that they can keep or return after trying out.

Style Trial is among several fall marketing initiatives from Express. Others Style Trial is among several fall marketing initiatives from Express. Others include the company’s NBA Game Changers and its collegiate ambassador program, Express U.

include the company’s NBA Game Changers marketing campaign and its collegiate ambassador program, Express U, which has expanded to 44 campuses across the nation, up from 24

in 2017.

Company executives mentioned the initiatives in discussing second-quarter earnings.

For the second quarter, Express reported sales of $493.6 million, up from $481.2 million in the same quarter this past year, beating analyst expectations by $6.42 million.

Comparable-store sales, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, increased 1 percent, better than Wall Street predictions of a drop of 0.1 percent. It was the second consecutive quarter that comparable-store sales grew.

Earnings for the quarter stood at 3 cents per share, beating analyst expectations of a loss of 4 cents.

The retailer’s online sales improved by 37 percent during the quarter, and now account for 25 percent of Express sales.

The earnings report failed to move the company’s stock Wednesday.