Weekly chain store sales fell 1.4% in the week ending Sept. 18, according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot released Tuesday. Year-over-year sales improved 3.3%.
Retail sales grew 2.2% in the third week of September after a 2.9% increase the previous week, according to the Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Index.
Month-to-date, September sales were 2.7% better than last year, while sales fell 0.4% from August in the Johnson Redbook index.
“Sales slipped during the week as back-to-school merges into transitional fall business,” according to Johnson Redbook. “Retailers saw back-to-school sales wind down and fresh fall apparel begin to sell in places where cool weather moves in.”
Some retailers have begun selling Christmas and Halloween merchandise side by side to get an early start to the holiday shopping season.”
