The Accent Group Ltd (ASX: AX1) share price closed 6.34% higher today at $1.51. With no news from the company, the jump in share price could be attributed to an Australian Financial Review (AFR) article which reported the company's expansion plans for high-end children's footwear.
What did the AFR article say?
According to AFR, the Aussie footwear retailer is planning to open at least 20 shoe stores catering to higher-end kids' fashion brands.
Accent is the owner of a wide portfolio of shoe store chains including Athletes Foot, Hype and Platypus and has exclusive distribution rights for 12 international footwear brands.
The AFR reports that the company is looking to expand its online-only The Trybe venture to bricks-and-mortar stores in the near future with plans to sell a range of child-sized versions of big name brands such as Adidas, Converse, Nike and Timberland.
Earlier this week, Inside Retail reported that the company is set to commence a four-store trial across Victoria and New South Wales for the concept.
Should the trial prove successful, the company reportedly looks set to expand its rollout to at least 20 stores as it looks to capture this market niche.
How has the Accent share price performed this year?
The Accent share price has performed relatively well in 2019, climbing 26.9% higher to $1.51 per share as at Friday's market close.
However, the stock remains slightly down over the last 12 months after a difficult end to 2018 in line with the broader market downturn.
While headwinds have been building for retail in the past 12 months, and this has been reflected in softening economic data from the sector, Accent looks to be managing to avoid the worst of the downturn at present.
Accent is currently trading on a P/E multiple of 18.4x earnings and offering a dividend yield of 5.6% per annum while boasting a market cap of $768 million.
In terms of other retail stocks, Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK) has been another top performer as it's share price has gained 27.2% so far this year while the likes of Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (ASX: HVN) has surged 32.3% higher in 2019.
