Federated August comp sales down 2.6%

Cincinnati – Locally based Federated Department Stores Inc. recently reported total sales of $1.2 billion for the four weeks ended September 1, 2001.

This is a decrease of 5.5% from total sales of $1.3 billion for the same period last year, in part reflecting the strategic downsizing of Fingerhut and the closing of the Stern's division. On a comp-store basis, Federated's August sales were down 2.6%.