September comps decent for most

HTT Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 10/4/2012 1:55:50 PM

New York - After a strong August, same-store sales in September were challenged by the end of back to school and some unseasonable weather in parts of the country. Only three of the 10 major retailers on HTT's monthly listing reported comp declines

• TJX Cos. was "well above plan" with a 6.0% increase.
• Ross Stores was up 5.0%, with sales and merchandise gross margin ahead of plan.
• Costco was also up 5.0%.
• Macy's Inc. was up 2.5%, with a big assist from combined online sales for macys.com and bloomingdales.com, which jumped 39.0% in September and 35.8% year-to-date.
• Stein Mart was up 2.4%, led by linens and ladies' career sportswear.
• Target Corp. was up 2.1%, in line with expectations.
• Bon-Ton Stores was up 0.6% thanks to a strong finish driven by new merchandise.
• Fred's and Alco Stores both posted a 3.8% decline.
• Kohl's comp fell 2.7%, with home posting a low single-digit comp decrease. The department nonetheless outperformed the company. Bedding and bath were singled out as the strongest segments.