Low Marks for Back-to-School Sales
It's a good thing the back-to-school shopping season isn't graded. Teen retailers would be embarrassed to show their scores to Mom and Dad.</br></br>The segment was among the worst-performing last month, depressing growth across the industry. Nearly all of the teen apparel retailers yesterday reported sales at stores open at least a year, known as same-store sales, declined during July when weighed against the same month last year.</br></br>Abercrombie & Fitch, which also owns Hollister & Ruehl, was down 4 percent. American Eagle Outfitters dropped 6 percent. Aeropostale plummeted 12 percent.</br></br>"Very weak," said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade group. "The question then is, 'What's going on beneath the surface?' "</br></br>Niemira estimated that same-store sales at teen retailers fell 6 percent last month compared with the same period last year. Meanwhile, retailers overall posted a 2.6 percent gain in same-store sales, continuing the slow but steady growth that Niemira said has characterized much of the year.