PREVIEW-Deckers to cruise through slump with red-hot UGGs BANGALORE, Feb 25 (Reuters) - What's scarce is what's attractive -- the mantra helping Deckers Outdoor Corp (DECK.O) breeze through a turmoil which has sent other retailers scrambling for methods to entice tight-fisted U.S. consumers. The producer of sheepskin boots and slippers seems to be all set for a stellar fourth quarter as its premium UGG brand still finds many loyalists in a recession. Deckers has reaped advantages of a distribution model that encourages scarcity to grow demand for its premium label of sheepskin footwear. About 81 percent of the UGG Vogue Boots carrying UGG said hello was "far and away the greatest brand for that holiday (season)," Mitch Kummetz, an analyst with Robert W. Baird said. Recent checks still point to demand outstripping supply, though to some lesser degree as retailers are better inventoried, Susquehanna Financial Group's Christopher Svezia said. Spring-season orders for UGG look "very good," he said. "We are hearing that Bloomingdales, a key customer, is notably helping the percentage of UGG business for spring 2009 which their overall footwear business has actually been positive," Svezia said. The footwear maker's UGG line of shoes, boots and slippers can also be found at other upscale retailers such as Nordstrom Inc (JWN.N) and Neiman Marcus. At Nordstrom, the biggest UGG retailer, demand has remained strong, particularly for seasonal spring colors in Classic and Cardy boots, Svezia said. Within the latest third quarter, UGG sales rose 57 percent and contributed more than 90 percent of Deckers' total revenue, enhancing the shoemaker report better-than-expected results for the eleventh consecutive pink uggs boots. In the present economic turmoil, retailers are staying with proven winners with regards to placing orders and reorders, and this has sustained UGG's momentum even during non-season periods. Two months earlier, Deckers said that every retailer that bought UGGs for that fall of 2008, also placed orders for the spring of 2009. The brand's consistent performance also seems to have ended a long-standing debate on whether UGG would be a mere fad or a must-have name. Analysts now think the brand is here to stay. Once the company reports results Thursday, analysts in addition to investors will worry less about its fourth-quarter performance, and seek more clarity on 2009, the extent of retailer cancellations for spring, current inventory levels and growth avenues for the brand. Analysts expect a slowdown within the shoemaker's sales growth in 2009 as department stores and other retailers apply brakes on buying plans within the backdrop of the increasingly challenging retail environment. However they expect Deckers, which sells its products in Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia and pink uggs sale America apart from the United States, to easily outperform its peers this season. Svezia believes Goleta, California-based Deckers will likely be one of the few footwear companies to grow last year. Analysts expect expansion away from Usa to propel growth of the UGG brand last year and beyond. Currently, the business's international segment accounts for about 14 % of Deckers' total business.