US DATA: Redbook for wk Sep 17: “As back-to-school merges into
transitional fall business, sales for the week were mixed to slightly
weaker in the third week of September. Some clothing categories were
active, but apparel in general did not perform at the same level as in
previous weeks, hurting the department stores with their narrower
merchandise bases. Discount stores sales were supported by consumer
basics such as food and household supplies. Back-to-school categories
are now winding down and fresh fall apparel has started to sell well in
some regions as cool weather moves in.:

Year-over-year: Week (w/e 09/17/11 vs year-ago) 4.1%
Year-over-year: Month (September 2011 vs September 2010) 4.5%
Month-over-month: (September 2011 vs August 2011) 0.0%