CHICAGO – November 30, 2009 – According to ShopperTrak, retail spending continues to show the slightest improvement versus the same period in 2008 as the company’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) reported Black Friday / Black Saturday sales increased 0.9 percent – with daily sales posting $10.66 and $6.107 billion respectively, totaling $16.77 billion.

Following a bit of momentum from a relatively busy Black Friday, Saturday showed a modest gain versus last year as value driven shoppers continued to visit retail locations to capitalize on various sales and promotions. In comparison, Black Saturday 2008 increased 0.8 percent over 2007, with $6.0 billion spent throughout the day, with the combined weekend totaling $16.6 billion spent.

“Although spending slowed compared to Friday, it seems shoppers responded to discounted items on Saturday leading to a moderate increase,” said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. “Our data suggests it’s possible consumers are aware retailers have less inventory this year, driving them to spend early in the season as some merchandise might not be available later in the year.” Martin continued: “While this two day total is slightly encouraging, it’s understood these first two days alone don’t equal a profitable season and retailers will most likely continue employing the best methods to drive traffic and boost sales over the next few weeks.”

Looking at total U.S. foot traffic for the period, ShopperTrak’s Retail Traffic Index (SRTI) showed a 3.2 percent decline on Black Saturday compared to 2008, while Black Friday showed a smaller decrease of 2.5 percent. These totals follow much steeper declines last year as traffic fell 17.0 percent on Black Saturday and 18.0 percent on Friday versus 2007.

“While traffic levels seem minimal, the 3.2 and 2.5 percent declines we saw on Friday and Saturday were much stronger than the 8 to 10 percent traffic decreases we monitored throughout 2009 just prior to folks gearing up for the holidays in October,” said Mr. Martin. “Although retailers would like to see stronger traffic figures, at this point they shouldn’t be in panic mode as 2009 declines are slowing and we anticipate December will show some improvement.”

ShopperTrak’s full Black Friday weekend sales and traffic information will be distributed Wednesday, December 2, at approximately 9 a.m. (EST). For more information please visit the company’s newly designed Website, www.shoppertrak.com.

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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