As expected, the earlier Easter holiday drove same-store sales down across all sectors of apparel retailing for April. Lousy weather also softened sales.
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There were a few positive notes, such as Saks Inc. with an 11.1 percent increase for the month and Nordstrom with a 3.1 percent increase, but many retailers missed both their own and industry expectations.
Industry observers had anticipated a weak April after the shift of Easter holiday sales into March drove many retailers’ comps for that month to exceed expectations. Of the retailers tracked by WWD, the department store sector reported an average same-store sales decline of 5.5 percent for April. Specialty stores were down 7.8 percent, and the mass merchants decreased 3.6 percent overall.
For more detailed analysis see tomorrow’s WWD.