Comps positive last week, but down a notch

HTT Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 1/23/2013 12:56:50 PM

New York - The Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Index was up 1.8% in the third week of January following a 1.9% gain the prior week.

Month-to-date, January was up 1.9% compared to January of last year, relative to a target of a 2.3% gain. Month-over-month showed a 0.4% drop, relative to a target of a flat reading.

"The focus on clearance and inventory reshaping continued to make for sporadic activity during third week, typical of the transitional month," said Catlin Levis, Redbook analyst. "The week again produced mixed results, with few discernible trends."

She added that some stores had planned for a relatively soft month and continued to perform below expectations. Weekly sales leader lists indicated a shift away from clearance categories toward more everyday items.