The May Department Stores Co. (St. Louis) has reported a preliminary 8.3 percent increase in net sales for the five-week period ended April 2, 2005. Same-store sales decreased 10.8 percent.
The department store company, about to become part of Federated Department Stores Inc. (Cincinnati), said sales comparisons in March were adversely affected by the movement of a major sales promotion event from the last week of fiscal March 2004 to the first week of fiscal April 2005. The company anticipates its April sales performance will benefit from this calendar shift.
Net sales for the first two months of fiscal 2005 were up 11 percent.
During March, May opened a Robinsons-May store at Imperial Valley Mall in El Centro, Calif., and May’s Bridal Group opened two After Hours Formalwear stores.