WASHINGTON (MNI) – The following is the commentary from the
ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot released Tuesday:
NEW YORK (May 11, 2010) – Warm weather and Mother’s Day acted as a
sales catalyst giving retailers a slight rebound in sales this past
week. For the week ending May 8, weekly sales rose by 0.1 percent,
according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs weekly sales index. On a
year-over-year basis sales remained positive and healthy at 4.3 percent.
“Sales edged up during the first week of the May fiscal month as
warm weather in the South and East helped to drive seasonal demands, as
well as Mother’s Day acting as a catalyst for traffic,” said Michael
Niemira, ICSC director of research and chief economist. “During the
latest week, the ICSC-Goldman Sachs customer tracking survey found
strong year-over-year traffic at apparel-specialty stores, discounters
and department stores — though the pace was a tad softer for department
stores than in previous weeks. Although there will likely be another
calendar quirk to deal with for the May fiscal month, the underlying
pace of demand continues to be healthy. For the month of May, ICSC
Research expects sales will increase by approximately 3.5 percent,”
Niemira added.
** Market News International Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **
[TOPICS: MAUDT$,MAUDS$,M$U$$$]