Famous parent Caleres’ net income soared eight-fold to $50,509,000 in the first quarter from $6,147,000 last year on stronger gross and operating margins as net sales grew 15% to $735,116,000 from $638,636,000. Famous Footwear sales were off 3% to 384,502,000 lapping pent-up demand that drove a 95% boost in the prior year, along with having a lower net store count. Gross margin at the family footwear banner saw a 400 b.p. improvement to 49.2% on full-price selling and continued low promo activity, helping drive a 4% operating earnings gain to $50 ... Log in to view full article.