Retailers post strong June sales

NEW YORK — American consumers that were enticed by warmer weather and deep discounts of up to 80% on summer merchandise went on a buying binge in June, helping many retailers deliver robust revenue gains for what is typically the second-biggest shopping month of the year.

But as the U.S. economy teeters back to life, the concern among analysts is that the strong revenue momentum at big retailers such as Target and Costco may not continue heading into the busy back-to-school shopping season. Consumers, who are already facing a weak job market and stagnant wages, are likely to find higher prices on everything from clothing to handbags during that time.

"Promotions were the clear driver this month, and consumers took advantage of some outstanding deals," said Ken Perkins, president of research firm RetailMetrics. "But that leaves a big question mark for July and the back-to-school season. Will shoppers be willing to spend full price? The upper end will be doing that, but the vast majority of customers will be a little more cautious."

Big merchants Target, Costco, The Limited as well as teen retailers such as The Buckle were among the companies that posted June results that beat Wall Street estimates. The few stragglers included Destination Maternity and Bon-Ton, which reported declines.

The figures are based on revenue at stores opened at least a year. This measure is considered a key indicator of a retailer's health because it excludes results from stores opened or closed during the year.

June is the second most important month on a retailers' sales calendar behind December. During the month, stores typically clear out summer merchandise to make room for fall goods. But this time, it took deep discounts of up to 80% to get shoppers to buy amid worries about the economy.

Still, the results are welcomed news for retailers, which had been hurt in previous months by consumers' hesitance to spend. Most of the spring, shoppers, particularly in the low-to-middle income brackets, shrugged off buying discretionary items as gas prices neared $4 per gallon (3.8 liters) in late April and early May. Gas prices dropped almost 42 cents from a three-year high set earlier this year, and averaged $3.67 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service.

But analysts fear that retailers have not quite turned a corner. After all, gas prices are still 35% higher than last year at this time.

Moreover, prices in the food aisle remain high and this fall, shoppers will be seeing the price tags of fashion and accessories rise as retailers try to offset higher labor costs in China and soaring prices of raw materials like cotton.

Shoppers' biggest concerns remain a weak job recovery and stagnant wages. These worries sent consumer confidence to a seven-year low in June, according to the Conference Board's survey released last week.

In fact, consumer confidence has never been this low in the 24th month of a recovery, according to David A. Rosenberg, chief economist and investment strategist at the Toronto-based money management firm Gluskin Sheff. Historically at the two-year mark, confidence is at 94, not 58.5, which was recorded by The Conference Board's June survey.

Such economic woes have helped boost business at discounters and wholesale club operators like Costco, which posted a 14% increase in revenue at stores opened at least a year. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters predicted a 12.7% increase for the wholesale club operator.

Costco, based in Issaquah, Washington, said that its performance was helped by one extra day in the period, which helped its results by about 2% to 3%. The period also includes sales from its Mexico joint venture. Taking out the impact of gasoline prices and strengthening foreign currencies, revenue at stores open at least a year gained 8%.

Target, based in Minneapolis, reported a 4.5% gain in revenue at stores opened at least a year, beating the 3.2% estimate from Wall Street analysts.

Other retailers also posted gains.

Strong sales at Victoria's Secret helped the retailer post a 12% rise in June, more than triple the growth that analysts expected. Revenue in stores open at least one year rose 17% at Victoria's Secret and 5% at Bath and Body Works. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected a 3.8% rise in the key revenue metric for Limited Brands.

Among teen merchants, The Buckle reported revenue at stores open at least a year increased 10.8%. That was slightly better than the 10% rise analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, expected. Sports clothing seller Zumiez reported revenue at its stores open at least a year rose 9.8% in June, beating Wall Street predictions for a 5.6% increase.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.