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 8/19/08 For wk 8/16 2008 | ||||||||
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Highlights
Same-store sales were up at a very weak year-on-year rate of 1.3 percent in the Aug. 16 week, down from 1.5 percent in the prior weak and far below the 3.5 percent peak the week before that. Redbook said the back-to-school season has gotten off to a slow start as parents pull back on spending. Together with the ICSC-UBS report, they offer an early signal of weakness in August retail sales.
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