Ulta Beauty announced gains for their second quarter and first six months that ended July 30, 2011, with a net sales increase of 22.6% to $394.6 million from $321.8 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2010. Comparable store sales increased 11.3% compared to an increase of 10.8% in the second quarter of fiscal 2010.

Net sales increased 21.6% to $780.6 million from $642.0 million in the first six months of fiscal 2010. Comparable store sales increased 11.2% compared to an increase of 10.8% in the first six months of fiscal 2010.

“We are pleased with our strong momentum and better-than-expected second quarter results, which we believe demonstrates Ulta’s increasing authority in beauty,” stated Chuck Rubin, president and chief executive officer of Ulta. “During the quarter we drove increased sales productivity and expanded merchandise margins as we integrated new product trends with traffic generating events communicated through our multi-channel marketing strategy. Our new store expansion continued positively and we maintained our double digit percentage growth online.”

The company remains optimistic about business at the star of the third quarter, noted Rubin. “While the economic environment has seen increased volatility, we believe the continued execution of our strategies coupled with the advantages of our business model have us poised to continue to profitably grow market share,” he said. “Specifically, we offer an affordable and fun beauty experience, a trend right product and service offering, exciting marketing that drives repeat purchases and a highly engaged team focused on providing fabulous customer service. We continue to expect fiscal 2011 to represent significant progress toward our long-term goals.”