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 reported steady to firm sales in May, results that point to moderate gains for retail sales data at mid-month.
Discount chains did moderately well, with leaders Wal-Mart showing a modest 2.5% same-store rise with rival Target at the upper end of the group with a gain of 5.1%.
Apparel chains were mixed with teenage wear showing another month of strong gains but other categories, including women's wear, less robust. Both AnnTaylor and Limited posted declines in the month.
Still the gains are positive given unusually cold weather in the month that likely stunted sales of summer merchandise and apparel.
Retailer shares were mostly firmer Thursday morning, indicating that the results were a bit more positive than expected. Capital markets rarely react to chain-store data.
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