July Sales Roundup: Different Month, Same Poor Results

Different month, same poor financial results for the retailers tracked by Multichannel Merchant.

Total July sales for apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch sank 22%, to $236.0 million, compared to $302.1 million in July 2008. Direct-to-consumer sales decreased 11%, to $16.2 million. July same-store sales decreased 28%.

Neiman Marcus Direct’s sales for July dropped a whopping 34.2%. The division consists of the print catalog and online operations for Neiman Marcus and Horchow, as well as the Bergdorf Goodman Website. Total revenue for July fell nearly 26%, to $199 million, compared to $268 million in July 2008.

July sales at women’s apparel marketer Victoria’s Secret Direct dropped 10%, “reflecting overall demand softness,” said Amie Preston, vice president of investor relations for parent company Limited Brands, during a conference call.

Total July company sales for J.C. Penney Co. slipped 10.6%, to $1.19 billion, compared to $1.33 billion in July 2008. The general merchant no longer reports its direct sales results. Company officials said in a release that July sales were impacted by a combination of a later start to the back-to-school selling period and the shift of several state tax-free shopping periods into this year’s fiscal August, as well as lower levels of clearance inventory relative to last year.