New York, August 24--Chain store sales rose in the latest week, but business continued to fluctuate from the effects of Hurricane Charley and high gasoline prices, a report said on Tuesday.
Sales rose by 0.1 percent in the week to Aug. 21, up from a 0.6 percent decline the previous week, the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS said in a joint report. Compared with the same week a year ago, sales increased by 2.9 percent, slightly down from 3.0 percent the preceding week.
ICSC cut its forecast for comparable-store sales growth in August to 2.5 percent from 3.0 percent on a year-over-year basis.
The ICSC-UBS Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot is compiled from a group of major discount, department and chain stores across the United States that report their weekly results.
