US DATA: Redbook sales for Aug 20 wk: “People continue to postpone
their purchases closer to the time of actual need as students want to
see what other students are wearing before buying clothes. Apparel sales
are holding up well in the south and other regions where school started
earlier. Cooler weather in parts of the country helped with sales of
back-to-school and fall seasonal apparel. Retailers are driving sales
through price reductions, putting pressure on profit margins.”
–
Year-over-year: Week (w/e 08/20/11 vs year-ago) 3.6%
Year-over-year: Month (August 2011 vs August 2010) 4.4%
Month-over-month: (August 2011 vs July 2011) 0.2%