Retail strong, departments beat discounters

NEW YORK — Led by an unexpectedly strong performance of the nation's full-price department stores, same-store retail sales jumped 6.3 percent during the third week of March, The Redbook Average reported.

Department store sales ran up 6.5 percent, improving on a 4.2 percent increase during the previous week. Remarkably, department stores recorded a sharper gain than discounters, where sales advanced by 6.1 percent, the first time in recent memory that full-price retailers grew their sales at a faster pace than mass merchants.

"Spring seasonal business was firm, especially women's apparel and accessories, identified by retailers at the upper and middle of the price spectrum as a key sales driver for the week," said Redbook Analyst Catlin Levis. "Sales momentum also showed in private brands."

The week was also helped by a favorable year-over-year comparison — during the same week a year ago, shoppers were glued to TV screens as the United States attacked Iraq.