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

DATE: FRIDAY, August 4, 1995                   TAG: 9508040037
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG BUSINESS NEWS
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                 LENGTH: Medium

SALES REFLECT HEAT WAVE: BIG RETAILERS SIZZLE

For smaller, specialty apparel stores, though, sales wilted with the heat.

``If you sold air conditioners, you did well,'' said Peter Schaeffer, an analyst with Dillon Read & Co.

Department and general merchandise stores showed strong gains for the month. Those strong gains won't show up on the bottom line, though. Much of the merchandise sold in July was marked down - even air conditioners, despite the heat wave in much of the country. That hurts profit margins for the quarter.

And if the excessively hot weather sticks around, it could hurt the important fall selling season. Sweltering consumers are more interested in buying shorts and other summer goods instead of sweaters, back-to-school products and other full-price items.

July's sales reflect the continuing desire of consumers to spend only when they need to and only when the items are on sale. And that deep-seated reluctance to buy, analysts said, won't disappear any time soon.

``Consumers do not have discretionary income, job insecurity is rampant, and people are up to their eyeballs in hock,'' said Kurt Barnard, president of Retail Marketing Report.

Here are the July results for national chains operating stores in Western Virginia. In each case, the month's sales total is followed by the percentage of change from July 1994 and by the percentage of change for the chain's same-store sales. Same-store sales, or sales in stores open at least a year, are considered the best measure of a retailer's sales strength, since they exclude the impact of store openings, closings and expansions.

American Eagle Outfitters, July sales of $22 million, up 48 percent from July 1994, with same-store sales up 2.6 percent.

Bombay Co., $20.7 million, up 6 percent, unchanged.

Charming Shoppes, parent of Fashion Bug and Fashion Bug Plus stores, $72.6 million, down 19 percent, down 22 percent.

Circuit City Stores, $556.1 million, up 34 percent, up 12 percent.

Family Dollar Stores, $120.5 million, up 13.4 percent, up 3.8 percent.

The Gap, $245 million, up 10 percent, down 6 percent.

Hechinger, $177 million, down 9 percent, down 6 percent.

Hills Department Stores, $135.8 million, up 6.1 percent, up 2.6 percent.

Lechters, $29.5 million, up 7.3 percent, down 1.2 percent.

The Limited, $481.8 million, up 6 percent, down 3 percent.

Lowe's Cos., $596.3 million, up 23 percent, up 6 percent.

May Department Stores, parent of Hecht's and Payless ShoeSource, $801.4 million, up 10.1 percent, up 4.6 percent.

S&K Famous Brands, $7.5 million, up 14 percent, up 4 percent.

TJX Cos., parent of T.J. Maxx, $258 million, up 7 percent, down 3 percent.

Woolworth, $590 million, up 2.5 percent, down 2.7 percent.

Staff writer Megan Schnabel contributed to this story.