Macy’s Sales March

Macy's Inc. (Cincinnati) reported total sales of $2.207 billion for the five weeks ended April 2, 2011, an increase of 1.6 percent compared to the same period last year. On a same-store basis, sales were up 0.9 percent.

For the year to date, Macy's sales are up 3.4 percent to $3.969 billion. Same-store sales for the year are up 3.0 percent. Online sales (which are included in the same-store sales calculation) rose 34.8 percent in March and 33.0 percent year-to-date.

“March sales exceeded our expectations and demonstrated that our spring fashion assortments are hitting the mark with customers,” says Terry Lundgren, chairman, president and ceo, Macy's, Inc. “We generated same-store sales increases at both Macy's and Bloomingdale's, despite a calendar shift in which the pre-Easter period and a planned cosmetics promotion at Macy's fall into April this year versus March last year,”

For April, the department store retailer expects same-store sales to increase 8 to 9 percent, which would translate to an increase of 4 to 4.5 percent for the March-April period. Previously, the retailer said it expected combined March-April sales to be up by approximately 3 percent.