Comps Inch Up as Holidays Kick Off

Home Textiles Today Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 12/17/2012 2:00:00 AM

NEW YORK - Same-store sales rose up 2.2% in the second week of December following a 2.1% gain the prior week, according to The Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Index.
     Sales were mixed in the second week. As Redbook analyst Catlin Levis explained, some retailers saw business pick up, influenced by the beginning of Hanukah, which began on Dec. 8, earlier than last year. However, some retailers said they had entered the expected "soft middle" of the holiday season, she said.
      Sales at discount stores continued to be strongest in basic consumables, food, toys and electronics.
     Online shopping kept up a strong pace and popular gift cards have made it easier for consumers to delay holiday shopping, shifting sales to the period after the holiday season. Gift card sales don't record the sales revenue until the cards are redeemed, Levis noted.