BJ's Wholesale Says Key Sept. Sales Measure Slips

NATICK, Mass. (AP) — Warehouse-club operator BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. said Thursday that sales at stores open more than a year slipped 0.5 percent in September, a smaller decline than Wall Street forecast.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, on average, expected a 1 percent decline.

Sales at stores open at least a year are a key measure of retail performance because they measure growth at existing stores rather than from newly opened ones.

The company said lower gasoline revenue hurt sales by 6 percent.

Total sales for the five weeks ended Oct. 3 rose 4.1 percent to $928 million.

Year-to-date, sales at stores open more than a year declined 4.4 percent and total sales declined 1.7 percent to $6.45 billion.

Strongest sellers included food, along with books, computers and televisions.

The company operates 184 BJ's clubs and 103 gas stations nationwide.