Retailers See Dismal Sales in MarchMARCH, RETAIL, CHAIN STORES, SALESBy CNBC.comCNBC.com| 10 Apr 2008 | 08:42 AM ET
Retail analysts had been expecting weak sales in March, but an early Easter holiday, chilly weather and recession-wary consumers combined to deliver March sales that were even drearier than expected.
Wholesaler Costco topped estimates, while discount retailer Wal-Mart Stores raised estimates for its first quarter, citing expense controls and fewer markedowns. However, these retailers were the exception.
Consumers, fretting about a sluggish economy and soaring gasoline prices, are limiting their shopping to food and other essentials. Adding to the malaise was chilly weather and the timing of Easter, which was two weeks earlier than a year ago.
"Discounters are going to continue to do well in this economy," said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics, a research company in Swampscott, Mass. "Anything that is discretionary is going to continue to be under pressure."
Among the 26 retailers that had reported their sales as of about 8:00 am New York Time, 74 percent had fallen short of analysts' estimates, according to Thomson Financial.
Among those reporting sales shortfalls were apparel retailers Gap , Children's Place , Wet Seal , and Pacific Sunwear .
Gap same-store sales shrank 18 percent, far below the 7.7 percent decline that had been forecasted, on average, by analysts polled by Thomson.
In addition to Costco , the strongest results came from Costco rival BJ's Wholesale , drugstore Walgreen's and teen retailers The Buckle and Aeropostale , which reported an impressive 20.9 percent increase in same-store sales last month, smashing its 10 percent final estimate.
Wal-Mart Raises Forecast
Wal-Mart said Thursday its total U.S. same-store sales for March rose 0.7 percent, without the impact of fuel, and 1.1 percent, including fuel.
The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial was for an increase of 1% for the month, excluding fuel.
Also, the Bentonville, Ark., retailing giant increased its earnings outlook for the first quarter, citing strong inventory management at its namesake stores in the U.S. that has led to lower levels of markdowns.
The company now sees earnings from continuing operations of 74 to 76 cents a share for the first quarter, up from its prior outlook for earnings of 70 to 74 cents a share.
Wall Street's current consensus estimate is for a profit of 72 cents a share in the April period.
Wal-Mart, a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, expects domestic same-store sales without fuel to rise between 1 percent and 3 percent for April, in part because of the Easter holiday calendar shift.
Meanwhile, Costco said Thursday sales at stores open at least a year rose 7 percent in March, topping analysts' expectations.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial predicted a 5.9 percent rise in the bulk-buy chain's same-store sales. Overall, Costco said sales for the five weeks ended April 6 rose 11 percent to $6.57 billion.
Still, investors are bracing for more profit warnings on Thursday.
"We think it's possible that Nordstrom , Macy's and Kohl's could confess and warn of softer first-quarter earnings per share on Thursday," JPMorgan analyst Charles Grom wrote in a research note.
--Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report.
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