
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 3, 1995                   TAG: 9503030121
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                 LENGTH: Medium

RETAIL SPENDING SOFT

U.S. department-store sales results in February show a cooling in consumer spending that is generally in line with an expected slowdown of U.S. economic growth this year, analysts said Thursday.

They described the chain-store sales figures reported Thursday as soft.

The sales figures are ``consistent with our view the consumer is starting to slow a bit but is not collapsing by any means,'' said Diane Swonk, economist for the First National Bank of Chicago.

Dana Saporta, economist for Stone & McCarthy, says a sample of 12 chain store sales shows year-over-year sales growth of 4.5 percent, down from January's year-over-year gain of 6.1 percent and well below the February 1994 year-over-year increase of 6.7 percent.

The figures released Thursday, along with weaker-than-expected automotive sales, suggest that overall February retail sales were ``lackluster,'' she said.

Chains operating stores in Western Virginia released these results:

Bombay Co. reported February sales of $22.9 million, up 13 percent over February 1994. Comparable store sales rose 9 percent.

Charming Shoppes reported sales of $62.3 million last month, down 16 percent. Comparable store sales fell 22 percent.

Family Dollar Stores reported sales of $101.7 million in February, up 0.2 percent; comparable store sales fell 8.6 percent.

Hechinger Co. reported sales of $125.8 million, up 1 percent; comparable store sales were unchanged.

Hills Department Stores reported sales of $89.6 million, down 3.2 percent, with comparable sales off 4.7 percent.

J.C. Penney Co. reported sales of $1.23 billion, up 3.5 percent; comparable sales rose 1.4 percent.

Kmart Corp. reported sales of $2.15 billion, up 7.7 percent; comparable store sales rose 3.4 percent.

Lechters reported sales of $25.3 million, up 14 percent with comparable sales up 6 percent.

The Limited reported sales of $464.5 million, up 10 percent; comparable sales rose 2 percent.

Lowe's Cos. reported sales of $373.9 percent, up 11 percent; comparable sales fell 6 percent.

May Department Stores, parent of Hecht's and Payless ShoeSource, reported sales of $729.3 million, up 6.3 percent; comparable sales rose 1 percent.

Sears, Roebuck & Co. reported sales of $1.79 billion, up 7.5 percent; comparable sales rose 5.4 percent.

TJX Cos., operator of TJ Maxx stores, reported sales of $1.11 billion, up 7 percent. Comparable sales were not reported.

Wal-Mart Stores reported sales of $5.98 billion, up 15 percent; comparable sales rose 8.4 percent.

Woolworth Co. reported sales of $519 million, up 3.6 percent; comparable sales rose 0.4 percent.

by CNB