Dive Brief:

• Michael Kors Tuesday said that Q4 same-store sales fell 0.9%, a lift from tumbling fortunes of the past three quarters.

• And while discounts have been the bane of its existence in the past, muted prices this quarter weren’t from forced discounts but from the trend toward smaller bags, which naturally cost less, according to reporting from the Washington Post.

• The company isn’t approaching its growth of a few years ago, but is demonstrating solid improvements, leading the Washington Post’s Sarah Halzack to muse that it may be on its way to finding a sweet spot in luxury retail—expansion and growth without overexposure.

Dive Insight:

Michael Kors is everywhere, and many analysts last year warned that that could be a problem. Stores — and concessions within department stores — are so numerous that they could be competing with each other. The ubiquity could be hurting the “it”-ness of the once-hot brand, and the inventory build-up could lead to clearance sales that could also further erode sales and the brand’s shine. 

Luxury goods in particular can be tough when it comes to promotion and expansion because so much of their allure stems from rarity and exclusivity.

But as the Post’s Halzack notes, there may be a sweet spot in luxury retail, between growth and ubiquity, that the company is approaching.