New York, NY, August 9--Chain store retail sales fell 0.8 percent in the week ended Aug. 6, compared with a 0.9 percent increase the previous week, the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS said in a joint report.
The decline was for the since June 25, as August got off to a slow start with consumers shopping for fall apparel, a retail report said on Tuesday.
Compared with the same week a year ago, sales softened to a 4.0 percent increase after a 4.9 percent rise the preceding week.
"During the past week seasonally hot weather pared demand for fall apparel," said Michael Niemira, ICSC's chief economist and director of research.
"Despite the softness in spending, consumers have stepped up their shopping over the past week," Niemira added.
For the August, ICSC expects the year-over-year comparable-store sales to grow by 4.0 percent.
The ICSC-UBS Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot is compiled from a group of major discount, department and chain stores across the country that report their weekly results.
