HSN comeback gains traction

In the first quarter since launching a new on-air look for its 30th birthday, HSN on Wednesday reported an uptick in sales.

The network reported a sales gain of 5 percent for the quarter, which officials at parent IAC/InterActiveCorp said was evidence of a turnaround taking root. The sales gain was 2 percent if the comparison reflected sales of America's Store, HSN's second network which was closed down last spring.

Former Nike executive and HSN's new chief executive Mindy Grossman "and her team have now become acclimated and are beginning to demonstrate the great retailing smarts we knew they were capable of,'' said Barry Diller, IAC Chairman. IAC reported net income of $72-million, or 24 cents a share, down from $75-million, or 24 cents a share, a year ago.

Mark Albright, Times staff writer