Highlights
Store sales were very slow last week due mostly to cold temperatures but also concerns of higher payroll taxes and a general post-holiday lack of interest. ICSC-Goldman's same-store sales index fell 1.0 percent from the prior week for a year-on-year rate of only plus 2.0 percent which is sharply down from the index's plus 3.0 percent growth trend. The year-on-year growth rate for Redbook, which will post its weekly results later this morning, has been trending near plus 2.0 percent for the last three weeks.