CHICAGO - January 14, 2008 - ShopperTrak RCT Corporation's National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) today predicts that despite various economic pressures seen throughout 2007 and early 2008, retail sales should increase 3.0 percent for Q1 2008 as compared to the same period last year behind the strength of January gift card redemptions and the Easter holiday calendar shift.

Because Easter falls this year at the end of Q1 (March 23) as opposed to falling in April in 2007, retailers should experience both a sales and traffic boost in Q1 as consumers rush to various retail locations to purchase clothing for the holiday weekend. Based on this, ShopperTrak’s Retail Traffic Index also forecasts a 1.3 percent total U.S. foot traffic increase for Q1 versus 2007.

“The redemption of post-holiday gift card has become a significant event for the retail industry which seems to extend further and further into January, which will help boost early 2008 retail and traffic performance,” said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak . “This, coupled with the fact that Easter weekend falls in Q1 this year, should help retailers start the year off on a rather positive note.” Martin continued: “That being said, historically when Easter falls early like it does in 2008, this does not necessarily translate into a strong Spring shopping season as it may still be fairly cool in parts of the country during the holiday – meaning retailers could see both a sales and traffic decline in early Q2.”

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 traffic and sales statistics. This gives retailers, investors and policy makers the most accurate and timely information on consumer trends available today.

ShopperTrak's 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.

A privately held entity, ShopperTrak leverages 20 years of retail expertise to be the industry's authority for information and analysis of shopper traffic 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) 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.