Friday, March 7, 2008

Retail Sales Encourage....

Retail sales in February largely beat expectations. Same-store sales were up 1.9%, led by a 2.6% increase at Wal-Mart (WMT). Still, stores continue to expect a rough spring, and a number of retailers have stopped reporting monthly comps in order to focus on long-term strategy. "These month-to-month blips don't change the trend," economist Frank Badillo said. "

Shoppers are intent on slowing their spending, and that will continue in the months ahead." Analysts noted sales at discounters (WMT, FDO) were stronger than at middle-end retailers (TGT, JCP, KSS).

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