August kicks off with comp increases

HTT Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 8/7/2012 12:04:50 PM

New York - Same-store sales were up 2.0% in the first week of August, according to The Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Index.

Redbook analyst Catlin Levis noted most retailers in Redbook's sample reported sales on or slightly better than plan for the week.

Sales saw a lift from state tax holidays and extended store hours in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, she said.

"Shoppers focused on summer clearance sales and began to look at freshly shelved back to school merchandise," she continued. "At this point, most stores are in mid transition between summer clearance and back-to-school. Stores differ in the way they time the transition, but most are expected to be fully positioned by the end of August or early September."

Levis asserted it is too early to assess the back-to-school trend.

"While the back-to-school season is not a direct predictor of holiday sales, it does offer important clues about consumer's spending attitudes before the most critical holiday shopping season of the year," she added.