PLANO, Texas — August sales at J.C. Penney Co. slipped 1.1 percent and same-store sales fell 4 percent, but that was still a smaller decline than the department store company had forecast.
Penney said monthly results were distorted by a change in the calendar that moved sales from the first few days of August into the July reporting period, when same-store sales jumped 10.8 percent.
The company had predicted that same-store sales in the four weeks ended Sept. 1 would fall by mid- to high-single digit percentage points.
Same-store sales are a key performance measurement for retailers since they exclude the impact of store openings and closings.
Total sales in the August period dipped to $1.56 billion from $1.58 billion.
The Plano-based company said the back-to-school season was a success, with combined same-store sales for July and August rising 2.4 percent. The company said that from mid-July on, sales of junior’s, young men’s, boy’s and girl’s clothing and children’s shoes all rose by at least mid-single digits.
Total direct sales gained 3.6 percent and sales on Penney’s Web site rose 23.9 percent.
Penney said the strongest categories in its department stores were family shoes and men’s and women’s apparel. It said the Northeast, Northwest and Southwest were the strongest regions.
The company said the economy would present a “challenging” environment in fall sales.
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