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RetailSails Exclusive: 2011 Chain Store Productivity Report
| Check out our exclusive report analyzing the store productivity of 178 U.S.-based retail chains. This cross-section of retailers spans 16 sectors and collectively these 178 companies operate over 200,000 stores with more than 4.6 billion square feet of store space, and generated over $1.5 trillion in retail store sales over the past 4 quarters. Includes rankings of the top 25 fastest-growing, highest sales per square foot and sales per store. |
Same-Store Sales Strong in Light-Volume January
| Most retailers saw strong sales in January, which is typically the lightest-volume month and caps off the fiscal year for the majority of chains. Business was driven by gift card redemptions and stores were focused on clearance sales to make room for spring lines and enter the new year with clean inventories. Though warmer weather helped foot traffic, sales of cold-weather gear were once again held back as last month was the 3rd-warmest January in 50 years. Total net sales for the 22 chains we track (JC Penney no longer reports monthly sales) increased 4.0% from a year ago to $26.893 billion in January, while same-store sales rose 2.9% on top of a 5.4% gain last year – this was the 29th straight monthly gain after 12 consecutive months of declines. |
| However, it was a month of winners and losers as only 12 of 22 chains reported comp gains for the month compared to 19 last January, with 59% of chains beating analyst estimates. Total fiscal year (February-January) sales increased 6.7% to $391.2 billion and comparable store sales rose 4.8% following a 3.8% increase in 2010. Standouts during the month included pretty much the same names we have seen out-perform all year, with Costco (+8%), off-price stores TJX (+8%) & Ross Stores (+5%), The Buckle (+7.4%), Limited Brands(+9%), Saks (+10.5%) and Zumiez (+10.8%) all once again out-pacing estimates…keep reading |
Latest From RetailSails DataCenter
Weekly US Chain Store Retail Sales: Week Ending February 4, 2012
| Unseasonably warm weather helped foot traffic and started shoppers thinking about spring merchandise this past week, while Super Bowl Sunday drew fans to buy tv’s, snack food and team apparel. Consumers and retailers alike will now turn their attention to Valentine’s Day, which is expected to generate over $17 billion in sales. The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) reported that chain store sales rose 1.8% from the prior week and increased 3.5% over the prior-year period during the week ending Feb 4th. On a year‐over‐year basis, mild weather in the past week compared with a Groundhog Day snowstorm in 2011 helped the year over comparisons in some regions. But absolutely and relative to last year, the ICSC‐GS consumer tracking survey found that consumer shopping was strong. This was especially true at wholesale clubs, but there were impressive gains also recorded at dollar stores, apparel stores, department stores, discounters and even furniture stores. “This past week consumers warmed up to spring-related merchandise as warm weather helped to drive weekly sales,” said Michael Niemira, ICSC vice president of research and chief economist. “In addition, consumers stocked up on consumables prior to Super Bowl Sunday which helped drive sales across many store categories,” added Niemira. According to Weather Trends International (WTI), the national average temperature over the past week ending Saturday was an incredibly large 12.9°F warmer than last year and a hefty 9.0°F warmer than its long‐term average…read more. |
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| 02-04-12 | 01-28-12 | 01-21-12 | 01-14-12 | 01-07-12 | 12-31-11 | |
| ICSC-Goldman Sachs Index | 3.5% | 3.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 2.8% | 5.3% |
| Johnson Redbook Index | 2.5% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 4.9% |
| ShopperTrak NRSE | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
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