Monthly sales volumes from individual department, chain, discount, and apparel stores are usually reported on the first Thursday of each month. Chain store sales correspond with roughly 10 percent of retail sales. Chain store sales are an indicator of retail sales and consumer spending trends. Why Investors Care
Highlights
Chain-stores posted strong results in February, with general merchandise retailers benefiting from a shift in the Super Bowl into February and department stores pointing to solid Valentine's and Presidents' Day sales.
General merchandise chain Target continues to post some of the best numbers in the retail sector, showing a big 9% gain in same-store year-on-year revenue. Wal-Mart, Target's giant rival, showed a less robust but still strong gain of 4.1% in the month, at the top end of its forecast and much better than recent months.
Department stores were mixed. Federated Department Stores, owner of Macy's and having just acquired May Department Stores, posted a 1.8% gain, below the rate of inflation. JC Penney posted strong results with a 6.1% rise in sales, while Sears, which is acquiring general merchandise chain Kmart, posted a trailing total as usual, up only 1.3%.
High end department stores once again did much better, with Nordstrom at a 7% gain and Nieman Marcus at 7.7%.
Disappointments included casual apparel retailer Gap, down 3%, and Pier 1 Imports, down 15.3%.
Other disappointments are likely to be supermarkets and restaurants, neither group reporting today but both struggling and both included in the Commerce Department's retail trade tally later this month. For now, Thursday's announcements, as usual, will have negligible effect on the capital markets but will have big effects on share prices of individual retailers.
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