July a Mixed Sales Bag for Chain Retailers

With government stimulus checks mostly spent, July was a gloomy month for retailers. WWD took a toll of the national chains that either fell short of expectations or took a hit last month--or both--compared to July 2007.

Sales were up 3 percent year-over-year at Wal-Mart, falling short of the 3.4 percent boost analysts predicted. The nation’s largest retailer prepared investors for a tough August as well, estimating a 1 to 2 percent increase.

• Target’s sales fell 1.2 percent annually.
• Kohl’s dropped 10.4 percent.
• J.C. Penney's were down 6.5 percent.
• Neiman Marcus' sales were down 1.7 percent.
• Saks were down 5.3 percent.
• Nordstrom’s same-store sales dropped 6.1 percent.
• Sales at Gap Inc.'s sales were down 11 percent.
• Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle Outfitters were both down 7 percent for the month.
• Limited Brands dropped 5 percent.
• Sales at Wet Seal dropped 8.2 percent.
• Sales at Dillard’s were up 2 percent.

There were a few bright spots in annual sales, though.

• Aeropostale managed a 13 percent increase.
• Sam’s Club sales rose 3.5 percent.
• Costco's were up 10 percent.