Chain Store Sales Up Over Last Year

New York, NY, Jan. 21, 2010--Chain-store sales rose 2.6 percent over a year ago last week, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs.

Same-store sales at the chains rose 2 percent over the previous week.
 
“January is a low-volume month and can be impacted by small swings. This has added to the volatility over the last few weeks,” said Michael Niemira, ICSC's director of research and chief economist.

He said sales shifted toward discounters. For January, ICSC Research anticipates retail sales will be flat to up 1 percent.