CHICAGO – December 1, 2008 - Although retail spending slowed a bit following the annually strong Black Friday shopping frenzy, ShopperTrak RCT’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) today reported combined Black Friday / Black Saturday sales increased 1.9 percent as compared to 2007 – with each day posting total sales of $10.6 and $6.0 billion respectively.

Analyzing Saturday’s retail performance, sales fell 0.8 percent for the day as compared to last year as many Black Friday sales and promotions ended, slowing retail activity. In comparison, Black Saturday 2007 increased 5.4 percent over 2006, with $6.1 billion spent throughout the day.

"Saturday’s slower GAFO retail sales performance is a trend many retailers have come to expect as consumers annually experience a bit of a spending hangover following the Black Friday shopping event,” said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. “At this point, we anticipate sales levels will continue to slow this week as consumers will remain home, looking for additional holiday sales toward the end of the shortened 2008 season."

ShopperTrak’s Retail Traffic Index (SRTI) also reported total U.S. foot traffic for Black Friday fell a sharp 18.0 percent versus 2007, as shoppers visited fewer stores with a larger spend. Conversely, the company’s NRTI enclosed mall index (an unpublished, subscription-based number) reported a Black Friday traffic increase as compared to the previous year, showing consumers clearly visited malls with fewer trips to stores within each location.

"The fact that mall visits were steady while unique store visits fell points to a more efficient consumer looking to minimize unnecessary expenditures in today’s difficult economic landscape," said Mr. Martin.

ShopperTrak’s full Black Friday weekend sales and traffic information will be distributed Wednesday, December 3, at approximately 9 a.m. (EST).

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.