Hastings Entertainment reported its Q4 and full year results for the period ending January 31, 2014, and revealed that it made $2.3 million in profits for the quarter, an improvement over the $1.2 million it made in the year ago period.  But its full year loss still got worse, growing from $9.3 million in the year ago period to $10.2 million in the year ending in January.

As has been the case for several book / music / movie chains recently, Hastings’ bright spot was its Trends category, which grew 25.1% for the quarter, behind improved sales of gifts, toys, boxed games, action figures, children’s toys, licensed and branded products, and recreational and lifestyle products.  Top brands in Trends for the quarter were Sons of Anarchy, Walking Dead, and Doctor Who. 

Hastings sales for the full year declined 5.7% to $436 million.  Its store count went down ten stores, from 140 to 130, which it was careful to report was a decline of 7.1%, meaning that its square footage went down more than its sales, improving its overall sales per square foot. 

Hastings was acquired by NECA earlier this month (see "NECA to Acquire Retailer Hastings").  This was not NECA’s first foray into retailing; the company acquired assets of video chain Movie Gallery in 2010 (see "WizKids Parent Buys Retailer Assets").