A weekly measure of sales at chain stores, discounters, and department stores. It is a less consistent indicator of retail sales than the weekly ICSC index. It is also calculated differently than other indicators. For instance, figures for the first week of the month are compared with the average for the entire previous month. When two weeks are available, then these are compared with the average for the previous month, and so on. It might be more useful to compare year-over-year figures since these are indeed compared to the comparable week a year ago. This index is correlated with the general merchandise portion of retail sales covering only about 10 percent of total retail sales. Why Investors Care
| Released on 3/13/07 For wk 3/10 2007 | ||||||||
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Highlights
Redbook reported a solid 3.4 percent year-on-year same-store sales pace for the March 10 week, up from a 2.9 percent pace in the prior week. Retail sales data from the government released earlier this morning showed mostly soft sales in February, in contrast to both this and the ICSC-UBS report which have been showing more moderate conditions. But these reports concentrate on general merchandise and exclude motor vehicles, gasoline stations, and food services, the latter especially weak in February's bad weather. The verdict on the consumer is still out, especially given the prospect of strong sales this month which will benefit from a two-week Easter shift that should push holiday sales into month-end.
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