Same Store Retail Sales Up 5.1%

Same store sales were up 5.1 percent year-on-year in the August 25 week, accelerating by 0.4 percentage points to the third fastest growth pace of the year. Month-to-date sales versus the prior month were up 0.4 percent, while the full month year-on-year gain widened by 0.2 percentage points to 4.8 percent, the second strongest reading for this comparison this year. Redbook's same store sales point to continued robust strength in ex-auto ex-gas retail sales.