Stage Stores Aug. Same-store Sales Decline

HOUSTON (AP) — Department store operator Stage Stores Inc. said Thursday that its August same-store sales dropped 9.5 percent, a larger decline than analysts predicted.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected same-store sales would fall 5.8 percent.

Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, are a key measure of retailer performance, because they measure growth at existing stores rather than from newly opened ones.

The strongest category was cosmetics, with intimates, juniors, men<s, misses sportswear, petites and plus sizes coming in better than the company average. The best performing region was the Southeast, with the Northeast the softest.

For the month ended Aug. 29, total sales slipped 7.4 percent to $111 million.

Stage Stores has 751 stores in 39 states.