Holiday Season's First Full Shopping Weekend Sends Mixed Message

Sales Total $13 Billion For The Season’s First Two Days, Up 3.5 Percent From The Same Period in 2003.

CHICAGO – November 29, 2004 – The 2004 holiday retail season got off to a rather erratic start although the season’s first two days outperformed the same period in 2003 by 3.5 percent, retail intelligence company ShopperTrak RCT Corporation reported today in its National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE). Sales for the first two days of the season totaled $13 billion, with Black Friday accounting for a sizeable $8 billion of that total and Saturday contributing just $5 billion. While Black Friday’s numbers were very strong, up 10.8 percent from the previous year, Black Saturday’s performance dropped sharply across the nation, down 6.5 percent as compared to the same day in 2003.

“The first two days of the holiday retail season were uneven to say the least,” said Michael Niemira, chief economist and director of research for the International Council of Shopping Centers. “While the season appears to be off to a rather shaky start with Saturday’s sharp decline, 2003 sales for Black Saturday were very strong, making the year-over-year comparison very difficult.” Niemira continued: “As mentioned previously, the first weekend of the holiday season is typically not an accurate predictor of the rest of the season, so the industry still has reason to remain cautiously optimistic based on Friday’s performance.”

Additionally, ShopperTrak reported that sales for the week ending November 27 as compared to the same period in 2003 were up a healthy 11.6 percent. On a week-over-week comparison, sales rose 5.3 percent as compared to the previous week ending November 20. This sales growth was stronger than any other week since mid-April 2004.

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 30,000 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.
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) and ShopperTrak RCT Corporation as the supplier of the information. Please contact Aaron Martin at 773.505.4325 if you have any questions concerning the use of this data.