Many large retailers reported their January sales numbers this week, with most of them coming out the morning of Thursday, Feb. 4. Following an announcement last May, Wal-Mart and its units no longer publish monthly sales figures. Updates to come as more retailers report sales. (Last updated Feb. 4, 2009)
Sort the chart below by company name, category, change in total or same-store sales, and total sales. Also, see December’s chart.
| Company name | Category | Same-store sales change | Overall sales change | Overall sales (millions) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abercrombie & Fitch | Apparel | 8% | 16% | $222.8 | The company’s increase in sales was unexpected as it has struggled for months. As of Jan. 30, it has completed the closure of its Ruehl brand stores. The namesake Abercrombie & Fitch stores posted a 12% jump in sales. |
| Aeropostale | Apparel | 11% | 15% | $111.2 | The company posted raised its earning outlook based on the results. The retailer said gift-card redemptions added $7.7 million to sales. |
| BJ’s | Discount | 2.9% | 13% | $742.6 | The company noted that it faced a negative effect from the Superbowl falling during the February reporting period this year, compared to January last year. Sales increased in all regions, with the strongest rises in the Southeast and Upstate New York. Food and gas sales were stronger, while merchandise sales were flat. (Same-store sales change excludes gasoline.) |
| Buckle | Apparel | -1.2% | 4.4% | $50.2 | The teen-apparel retailer has posted its first drop in same-store sales in more than three years. It had previously been on a 39-month streak of gains. |
| Costco | Discount | 0% | 10% | $5,620 | Costco said higher gasoline prices and strengthening foreign currencies had a positive impact on January’s comparable sales. (Same-store sales change is for U.S. and excludes gasoline.) |
| Gap | Apparel | 5% | 5% | $798 | The company said its earning will be higher than First Call estimates. The discount Old Navy stores posted a 10% increase in sales, while the flagship Gap stores posted a 2% gain in same-store sales. The high-end Banana Republic chain experience a 4% jump. |
| Hot Topic | Apparel | -13% | -11% | $39.8 | The company said that its earnings outlook will be on the low-end of last month’s reduced guidance. Despite gains in other parts of the teen segment, Hot Topic wasn’t a beneficiary. |
| J.C. Penney | Department | -4.6% | -4.4% | $940 | Women’s apparel and fine jewelry were the top performing merchandise divisions, while children’s experienced the weakest sales. The central region was the company’s best performing region in January, and the northwest region had the softest sales. |
| Kohl’s | Discount | 6.5% | 10.7% | $798 | The company raised its earnings outlook. The Southwest the strongest part of the country, as the footwear and accessories categories performed best. |
| Limited Brands | Apparel | 6% | 5.2% | $622.6 | The Victoria’s Secret brand posted the strongest same-store sales increase, rising 17%. Limited Brands stores’ sales were up 6%, but La Senza and Bath & Body Work reported flat sales from a year earlier. |
| Macy’s | Department | 3.4% | 3.4% | $1,255 | The company increased its fourth-quarter earnings outlook again. CEO Terry Lundgren credited strong sales at the company’s Bloomingdale’s chain and a shift in the organizational structure with boosting results. |
| Neiman Marcus | Luxury | 4.5% | 8.3% | $242 | Sales were strongest in the Southeast and Northeast. The merchandise categories that performed best included precious jewelry, women’s couture apparel and dresses, shoes, handbags and men’s. |
| Nordstrom | Luxury | 14% | 16% | $543 | The company posted a 4.2% decline in same-store sales for its fiscal year, smaller than many others in the luxury sector. |
| Ross Stores | Apparel | 8% | 13% | $411 | The discount apparel retailer raised its fourth-quarter earnings outlook on stronger-than-expected sales. The home department and shoes were the strongest categories, while the Mid-Atlantic and Mountain regions performed the best for the company. |
| Saks | Luxury | 7% | 8% | $158.9 | The strongest categories at Saks Fifth Avenue stores were women’s designer and “gold range” apparel, women’s shoes, handbags, fashion jewelry, men’s apparel, and men’s shoes. |
| Target | Department | 0.5% | 3.6% | $4,289 | The company said lower clearance sales held down year-over-year performance. Apparel and home categories were the strongest. |
| TJX | Discount | 12% | 20% | $1,300 | TJX raised earnings guidance for the fourth quarter. The company said customer traffic accelerated in January. |
| Zumiez | Apparel | 1.8% | 9.2% | $22.1 | The youth retailer followed the trend in its sector, posting an increase in sales from the year-earlier period. |