• Thursday, March 05th, 2009
Many large retailers reported their February sales numbers this week, with most of them coming out the morning of Thursday, March 5. Wal-Mart led, with strong numbers. Most other retailers posted negative same-store sales changes, but were generally better than feared. (Last updated March 5, 2009)
Sort the chart below by company name, category, change in total or same-store sales, and total sales. Also, see January’s chart.
| Company name | Category | Same-store sales change |
Overall sales change |
Overall sales (millions) |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abercrombie & Fitch | Apparel | -30% | -24% | $174.5 | Comparable store sales were down for all units of the company, but Hollister and Ruehl brands saw greater weakness than the Abercrombie & Fitch namesake stores. |
| Aeropostale | Apparel | 11% | 23% | $109.9 | The company said inventories and margins continue to be strong, as it expects a positive spring selling season. |
| BJ’s | Discount | 8.2% | 2.4% | $669.6 | Groceries, computer hardware and software, health and beauty aids, small appliances, televisions and video games were stronger, while weakness was seen in apparel, jewelry and prerecorded video. The Metro New York region had the highest increase and upstate New York had the largest decrease. (Same-store sales change excludes gasoline.) |
| Costco | Discount | 4% | -1.0% | $5,060 | The company reported lower fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, and cited deep discount as part of the reason. However, CFO Richard Galanti said the company will continue to be aggressive in pricing. “The customer gets it,†he said on a conference call with analysts. “They are in our view, they are more value-conscious than ever before.†(Same-store sales change is for U.S. and excludes gasoline.) |
| Gap | Apparel | -12% | -12% | $795 | Banana Republic was the weakest chain, posting a 16% drop in same-store sales. Gap North America and Old Navy reported sales drops of 12% and 13%, respectively. Despite continued weakness, the company said margins remain in line with last year. |
| Hot Topic | Apparel | 10.8% | 13.7% | $57.3 | The young-adult retailer has posted steady gains despite the difficult environment as it has profited recently from selling gear connected to the teenage vampire movie “Twilight.†|
| J.C. Penney | Department | -8.8% | -7.2% | $1,165 | The company expects March sales to fall in the low double-digits to mid-teens amid the negative effects of Easter moving into the April reporting period this year. |
| Limited Brands | Apparel | -7% | -11% | $547.8 | The parent of Victoria’s Secret Stores said same-store sales at the unit were down 9%, but that wasn’t as bad as expected amid benefits from Valentine’s Day. Margins were hit by a shift to clearance items. Bath and Body Works also posted a comparable-store drop. |
| Macy’s | Department | -8.5% | -9.3% | $1,576 | Although, the company continued to struggle amid the weakening economy, Web sales provided a small bright spot. Online sales (macys.com and bloomingdales.com combined) were up by 16.2% in February. |
| Neiman Marcus | Luxury | -20.9% | -19.7% | $232 | The company experienced weakness across all regions and merchandise categories. Women’s apparel and shoes showed some strength in the direct-marketing segment. |
| Nordstrom | Luxury | -15.4% | -10.9% | $471 | The company said the South and Mid-Atlantic regions had the strongest performance, while junior women’s and cosmetics were the best performing categories. |
| Ross Stores | Apparel | 1% | 7% | $476 | The discount apparel retailer said that traffic levels were healthy for the month, with the Mid-Atlantic region performing best. Dresses and shoes posted strong sales. |
| Saks | Luxury | -26% | -26.8% | $166.7 | The company experienced continued weakness across all merchandise categories, particularly in women’s apparel. Categories with relative strength in February were eveningwear fragrances and women’s and men’s accessories. |
| Sam’s Club | Warehouse | 5.9% | 3.1% | $3,472 | Grocery, housewares and pet supplies were strong categories, while furniture, jewelry and other large-ticket categories remained soft. February saw strong sales increases from tobacco product amid price increase, however the company expects to see a slowdown in April when a federal excise tax increase takes effect. (Same-store sales-change figures exclude fuel.) |
| Target | Department | -4.1% | 0% | $4,373 | Groceries and health products provided the strongest performance while apparel and home products were weaker. The average amount shoppers spent per trip fell during the month. |
| Wal-Mart (U.S.) | Discount | 5.0% | 8.1% | $20,071 | Same-store sales were strong in grocery, health and wellness and entertainment, as the company said foot traffic increased at its stores. (Same-store sales change figures exclude fuel.) |
| Zumiez | Apparel | -13.4% | 0.2% | $23.1 | Footwear offset weakness in men’s and boys’ apparel. The weakest sector for the company was Texas. |
Category: Economy
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