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December Sales Round-Up

Given the enormous importance of this year's holiday shopping season, I'll be posting retailer-by-retailer results on the blog today.

ICSC's report is up and available for download (if you're an ICSC member). ICSC puts the same-store sales gain for December at 0.9 percent compared with last year based on its index of stores. (Last year same-store sales in December rose 3.3 percent over the prior year.) That makes it the weakest December since 2000 when same-store sales grew 0.7 percent. For the November/December period combined the picture looks better. ICSC is estimating that same-store sales rose 2.2 percent. That's the worst figure since 2002, but isn't so far off last year's gain of 2.9 percent.

Looking at things on a retailer-by-retailer basis, here's how things are shaking out. It gets a bit confusing because not every retailer is comparing to the same five-week period from a week ago. Some are including the first week in January in both years. Others are comparing the period ending January 5 this year to one ending December 30 last year. I've broken the data into two charts reflecting that. Also, some retailers are reporting nine-week rather than five-week figures. And lastly, some are reporting figures on a quarterly basis. For companies with multiple brands (like Gap, Charming Shoppes, TJX and others), I used the consolidated figures for the entire company rather than list all the chains separately.

These retailers reported sales for the five-week period ending January 5, 2008 compared with the five-week period ending January 6, 2007.

Retailer Same-Store Sales
The Buckle +18.7%
Pier 1 Imports +7.5%
Costco +7.0%
Ross Stores +3.0%
BJ's Wholesale Club +3.0%
TJX Cos. +3.0%
Wal-Mart +2.4%*
Abercrombie & Fitch -2.0%
Family Dollar -0.7%
Pacific Sunwear -2.8%
Nordstrom -4.0%
Stein Mart -5.7%
Gap Inc. -6.0%
Mothers Work -7.6%
Limited -8.0%
Ann Taylor -9.4%
The Bon-Ton Stores -11.3%
Circuit City -11.4%
Chico's FAS -13.7%

(Wal-Mart's periods end Jan. 5, 2007 and Jan. 4, 2008.)


These retailers reported sales for the five-week period ending January 5, 2008 compared with the five-week period ending Dec. 30, 2006.

Retailer Same-Store Sales
AĆ©ropostale +12.2%
JoS. A Bank Clothiers +2.0%
Saks +0.8%
The West Seal +0.6%
American Eagle -2.0%
Nordstrom -4.0%
Target -5.0%
Dillard's -5.0%
Stage Stores -7.1%
Wilsons The Leather Experts -7.1%
J.C. Penney -7.5%
Macy's -7.9%
Cato -8.0%
Ann Taylor -11.4%
Kohl's Corp. -11.4%
Gottschalks -13.8%


Some retailers reported figures for longer periods.

For nine-week periods ending January 5.

Retailer Same-Store Sales
GameStop +20.0%
Toys 'R' Us +3.1%
Barnes & Noble -0.4%
Bakers Footwear -5.9%
Charming Shoppes -7.0%


For the most recently completed quarter.

Retailer Same-Store Sales
Eddie Bauer +4.8% (Q ending 12/29)
Big 5 Sporting Goods -4.7% (Q ending 12/30)
Tuesday Morning -7.6% (Q ending 12/31)
bebe stores -7.9% (Q ending 1/5)


Other.

Retailer Same-Store Sales
Neiman Marcus +2.9% (Revenues; 5-weeks ending 12/29/07 vs. 12/30/06)
Ulta +4.6% (Six-week period from 11/18/07 to 12/29/07)
Finlay Enterprises -5.9% (Nov. & Dec. combined)
Zale Corp. -9.0% (Nov. & Dec. combined)


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