CHICAGO – December 2, 2009 – ShopperTrak today reported the critical holiday shopping season got off to a rather lukewarm start as the company’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) showed Black Friday weekend retail sales increased a marginal 1.6 percent while the Retail Traffic Index (SRTI) posted a slight 1.1 percent decline in total U.S. foot traffic.

ShopperTrak’s data showed Black Friday began the season with a large spend as retail sales totaled $10.66 billion, equaling just a 0.5 percent increase over Black Friday 2008 but representing the largest dollar amount ever spent on the day. As is typically seen, Black Saturday experienced a bit of a spending hangover but still managed to post a slight 0.9 percent rise over last year with $6.107 billion spent. And while Sunday retail sales increased a seemingly impressive 5.2 percent ($3.73 billion), the comparison is favorable as Black Sunday 2008 started showing the steady declines retailers eventually experienced throughout the holiday season.

By comparison, Black Friday weekend 2008 retail sales increased 0.9 percent versus 2007, totaling $20.1 billion – with Friday rising 3.0 percent, followed by 0.8 percent and 2.3 percent declines on Saturday and Sunday.

ShopperTrak’s Retail Traffic Index (SRTI) reported total weekend foot traffic fell1.1 percent as compared to 2008, as Black Friday slipped 2.5 percent, Saturday declined 3.2 percent and Sunday was flat. This traffic performance follows the 18.7 percent total U.S. foot traffic decline the company tracked for the same weekend in 2008 versus 2007 – the largest three day drop since ShopperTrak began compiling this data.

“In analyzing these numbers, the bottom line is retailers saw a slight sales increase with a minimal traffic decrease, both of which are tremendous improvements over sales and traffic levels we saw throughout 2009 prior to the holidays,” said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. “But, while this weekend is a bit encouraging, we’re still comparing to what turned out to be the worst holiday season we’ve ever measured, and smart retailers understand this reality.” Martin continued: “Because of this we anticipate slimmer inventories and prolonged sales and promotions will boost December spending, which should provide the slight 1.6 percent retail sales increase we forecasted for the holiday season.”

The SRTI is generated from a carefully drawn sample of more than 50,000 retail and enclosed mall locations throughout the United States. The product is a set of six calculated indices for select segments of the retail industry that compare current week mall or store traffic to a baseline traffic figure from a fixed week on the NRF calendar. The SRTI is priced by individual segment.

Developed by ShopperTrak, the NRSE provides a nationwide benchmark of retail sales. It is derived from the U.S. Commerce Department's GAFO (general merchandise, apparel, furniture, sporting goods, electronics, hobby, books and other related store sales) statistic, as well as ShopperTrak's proprietary industry intelligence on shopper movement and sales statistics. This gives retailers, investors and policy makers the most accurate and timely information on consumer trends available today.

A privately held entity, ShopperTrak leverages 20 years of retail expertise to be the industry's authority for information and analysis of the movement of shoppers in retail environments. ShopperTrak's cutting-edge shopper tracking products and indices offer retail intelligence solutions that enable companies to better understand retail trends and the impact of store and staff performance on company revenues. With more than 50,000 units installed in the world's best known retail outlets and malls, the company's solutions also provide a proven means for retailers to gauge labor efficiencies, advertising and marketing efforts, store design and remodeling programs, merchandise changes, associate training programs, and other budget-intensive strategic initiatives. For more information visit http://www.shoppertrak.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The data contained within this news release is the property of ShopperTrak RCT Corporation and may be reprinted, published or broadcast, provided proper credit is given to the National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE), Retail Traffic Index (SRTI) and ShopperTrak RCT Corporation as the supplier of the information. Please contact Aaron Martin at 312-943-9100 if you have any questions concerning the use of this data.
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