Ross Again Leads The Way

By Don Hogsett -- Home Textiles Today, 10/10/2005 12:00:00 AM

New York —

Same-store retail sales were mixed during September, with discounters doing well, and department stores taking it on the chin, hit by rising gas prices, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and unseasonably warm weather which hampered sales of fall clothing.

Target and Wal-Mart were predictably strong, their comps rising 5.6 percent and 3.8 percent respectively, as consumers stocked up on basics and consumables like batteries and bottled water in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The ultra-low-price wholesale clubs did even better during September. Costco comps shot up 11 percent, while same-store sales at Sam's Clubs rose 4.5 percent. BJ's same-store sales improved 3.8 percent.

Other winners included off-price retailer Ross Stores, where same-store sales climbed 9 percent.

Among full-price department stores, only the Saks Department Store Group performed well, with a 4.3 percent boost in same-store sales, which far outpaced a slender gain of 2 percent at its sibling Saks Fifth Avenue Stores. The newly combined Federated and May eked out a gain of 1.3 percent, and JCPenney department stores managed a 1.4 percent gain in comps.

The two dollar store chains reported moderate gains, Family Dollar up 2.6 percent, and Dollar General up 2.5 percent.

But elsewhere, the news was grim, most notably for full-price retailers. Bon Ton same-store sales skidded 7.8 percent, and Dillard's was off 1 percent.

Other decliners included Pier 1, which extended a recent sales slide by declining a further 10.6 percent. Kohl's, the big mid-pricer, was off 0.2 percent; Hancock Fabrics down 6.3 percent; Stein-Mart down 3.9 percent; ShopKo down 4.6 percent; and Value City Department Stores off 4.8 percent.

Winners and losers

September sales for key retailers
Five weeks ended October 1^a, (dollar amounts in millions)