Chain Store Sales Up From Year Ago

New Yorik, NY, Aug. 12, 2008--Chain store sales for the week ended Aug. 9 rose 2.6 percent from the same week last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

However, sales dropped 1.1 percent from the previous week.

"Customer traffic picked up over the last week, but cautious back-to-school spending held back the sales pace for the week," said Michael Niemira, ICSC's chief economist.