ROANOKE TIMES

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

DATE: FRIDAY, April 07, 1995                   TAG: 9504220003
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium


MARCH SALES AT WESTERN VIRGINIA STORES OPERATED BY NATIONAL CHAINS

Bombay Co.: sales of $24.2 million, up 4 percent from March 1993 but down 7 percent at stores operating for at least a year. Comparable-store sales are considered a better measure of a retailer's performance, because they ignore the impact of promotions associated with a new store's opening.

Circuit City Stores: $445.4 million, up 29 percent and up 5 percent for comparable stores.

Family Dollar Stores: $123 million, up 6.6 percent but down 2.9 percent on a comparable-store basis.

Hechinger Co.: $216.4 million, up 1 percent and up 4 percent in comparable stores.

Heilig-Meyers: $89.1 million, up 15.2 percent and up 0.5 percent in comparable stores.

Hills Department Stores: $144.5 million, down 11 percent and down 14.6 percent in comparable stores.

J.C. Penney Co.: $1.73 billion, down 4.4 percent and down 5.5 percent in comparable stores.

Kmart Corp.: $2.98 billion, up 7 percent and up 4.3 percent in comparable stores.

Lechter's: $30.4 million, up 2.4 percent but down 5.9 percent in comparable stores.

The Limited: $618.2 million, up 3 percent but down 5 percent in comparable stores.

Lowe's Cos.: $650.2 million, up 18 percent and up 3 percent in comparable stores.

May Department Stores, parent of Hecht's and Payless ShoeSource: $1.05 billion, up 2.8 percent but down 2.9 percent in comparable stores.

Sears, Roebuck and Co.: $2.45 billion, up 4.3 percent and up 2.3 percent in comparable stores.

TJX Cos., parent of T.J. Maxx: $373 million, up 6 percent but down 5 percent at comparable stores.

Wal-Mart Stores: $7.9 billion, up 11.4 percent and up 2.2 percent in comparable stores.

Woolworth Co.: $718 million, down 1.5 percent and down 4.7 percent at comparable stores.



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