Econoday Report: ICSC-Goldman Store Sales March 24, 2009

ICSC-Goldman Store Sales

Released on 3/24/2009 7:45:00 AM For wk3/21, 2009

	Prior	Actual
Store Sales - W/W change	-0.1 %	-0.4 %
Store Sales - Y/Y	-1.4 %	-1.4 %

Highlights
The Easter shift is coming into play, depressing comparisons in the March 21 week. Easter, which is a major holiday for retailers, is much later this year than last year (April 12 vs. last year's March 23). Sales fell 0.4 percent in the week for a very soft -1.4 percent year-on-year rate. But outside of the Easter effect, the report stresses that activity is in line with January and February. Redbook is up next.

Definition
This weekly measure of comparable store sales at major retail chains, published by the International Council of Shopping Centers, is related to the general merchandise portion of retail sales. It accounts for roughly 10 percent of total retail sales. Why Investors Care