Zumiez Sept. Sales Comparison Down Less Than 1 Pct

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Sports apparel and equipment retailer Zumiez Inc. said Wednesday that sales at stores open at least a year fell 0.8 percent in September, a slightly smaller drop than analysts had expected.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, on average, expected same-store sales to fall 1 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.

Total sales for the four weeks that ended Oct. 3 rose 8.4 percent from the comparable prior-year period, to $36.5 million.

The shift of Labor Day from the first week in September last year to the second week of the month this year helped results by moving back-to-school sales, the company said in a recorded message.

Year to date, same-store sales are down 14 percent, the company said in the message.

Zumiez shares closed earlier up 41 cents, or 2.6 percent, at $15.94 and jumped 40 cents in after-hours trading following the report.