Springlike Temperatures Fuel February Retail Sales

Unseasonably warm weather brought shoppers into the nation’s stores in February, with springlike temperatures encouraging many consumers to buy lightweight clothes and garden supplies.

Retail sales figures reported Thursday were better than expected at many stores, especially discounters and apparel chains. However, some retailers said their business was pinched by harsh weather caused by El Nino.

“For the most part, there were very robust sales last month,” said Kurt Barnard, a retail consultant and president of Barnard’s Retail Trend Report. “But El Nino undoubtedly hurt some retailers, especially those clustered in California.”

February marked the second straight month of good sales for most retailers, a welcome change after the disappointment many stores suffered during the Christmas shopping season.

Demand for spring clothes was especially strong last month, boosting sales at specialty apparel retailers Gap Inc. and The Limited Inc. Even Kmart Corp., which has struggled with its apparel, said clothing sales were up for the month.

Discount stores reported consumers were buying merchandise for outdoor activities and yard work thanks to the warm weather. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. had one of its strongest months since the early 1990s.

“The February sales paint an optimistic picture for this year. The consumer is willing to buy,” said Walter Loeb, who heads the retail consulting firm Loeb Associates.

Among those hardest hit by rainy weather in California and snow storms in several states were Federated Department Stores Inc., Saks Fifth Avenue and the Mervyn’s clothing division of Dayton Hudson Corp.

The Merrill Lynch retail index, the investment firm’s barometer of sales performance at department stores and discount chains, rose 5.3 percent last month after a 5.1 percent gain in January. It was up 5.2 percent in February 1997.

Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, said sales from stores open at least a year rose 9.8 percent from a year earlier, while total sales were up 18.3 percent.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. said its same-store sales rose 4.7 percent, while total sales gained 4.9 percent. Kmart’s same-store sales were up 5.6 percent, while total sales rose 3.5 percent.

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. said its same-store sales rose 1.1 percent and its total sales rose 5 percent.

Dayton Hudson said same-store sales rose 3.5 percent and total sales rose 7.1 percent. Comparable-store sales were very strong at its Target discount stores and department store divisions, while sales at Mervyn’s were lower than expected.

Federated said its same-store sales rose 1.5 percent and total sales were even with a year ago.