In the girls' world of Tween Brands, something that's pink and purple and has sparkly unicorns on it could translate to profit. So for the holidays, the New Albany-based youth retailer has tapped into Bella Sara -- sets of collectible, horse-themed trading cards that have reached 30 million in worldwide sales. Bella Sara is the latest hot brand to hit the company's Limited Too and Justice stores, where non-apparel items such as Webkinz plush toys and Hannah Montana merchandise have been bright spots in a couple of disappointing quarters. "I think it's a game that will pick up a lot of speed," said Paula Demaso, executive vice president of general merchandise. "It's kind of grass roots, like Webkinz was: No one west of the Mississippi knew about that a year ago." Now, fueled in part by Webkinz, third-quarter sales in the "lifestyle" category at Justice and Limited Too stores are up 77 percent and 60 percent, respectively, compared with last year.
Similar to Webkinz, each Bella Sara card comes with a code that grants access to an online world, where girls can play games and feed and brush the virtual version of their horses. www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2007/12/07/bella_sara.ART_ART_12-07-07_C12_DB8MT1D.html?sid=101
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