Chain Store Sales Up in Latest Week

New York, NY, July 7, 2009--Chain store sales across the U.S. for the week that ended July 4 rose 0.5 percent, according to latest figures from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs.

While ICSC expects sales for the month of June to have dropped 4.5 percent, the group noted that the first half of the month was weaker than the final two weeks.

Michael P. Niemira, ICSC chief economist, said, “Sales were also uneven regionally and by type of retailer in June as dollar stores and stores offering a wide array of staples continued to perform best throughout the entire month.   Overall ICSC Research anticipates June sales (less Wal-Mart) will be down by about 4.5 percent from the same month of 2008,” Niemira added.