Highlights
What weather effect? ICSC-Goldman's same-store sales tally skyrocketed in the February 5 week, up 2.2 percent for the largest weekly gain since the Easter distortions of last March. The year-on-year pace jumped nearly one full percentage point to plus 2.5 percent which is four tenths above the four-week average. This report, along with Redbook, had been warning that heavy weather was hurting sales, a warning not borne out by the retailers themselves which, in last week's chain-store statements, reported very solid January sales that were boosted by strong Internet traffic. Redbook is up at 8:55 a.m. ET.