CHICAGO – October 4, 2005 – ShopperTrak RCT Corporation’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) today reported that U.S. retail sales for the month of September increased 3.9 percent as compared to the same month in 2004. While monthly sales growth continued in September, consumer activity slowed as compared to the previous four months with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita negatively affecting sales in the south, and inflated gas prices slowing retail sales throughout the entire country.

Despite September’s poor performance as compared to the previous four months, including a very strong August that contained the back-to-school shopping period, week-over-week sales growth during the last week of the month may point to possible improvement in October. Sales for the week ending October 1 as compared to the previous week ending September 24 increased a healthy 6.5 percent.

"As expected, retail sales were a bit sluggish in September as compared to previous months due to rising oil prices and the devastating effects of the hurricanes in the south. ” said Michael Niemira, chief economist and director of research for the International Council of Shopping Centers. "Nevertheless, and somewhat remarkably, the American consumer has proven very resilient during this difficult time period and the strong sales performance during the last week of the month might be a positive sign for the retail industry as we head into October."

ShopperTrak also reported that sales for the week ending October 1 increased 0.7 percent as compared to the same period in 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 40,000 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 312-943-9100 if you have any questions concerning the use of this data.