ICSC-Goldman Reports Retail Sales As "Strong", Redbook Sees Sales Slowing

Despite weakness in the latest readings, ICSC-Goldman describes store sales as strong and discretionary spending, which is getting a boost from low gas prices, as healthy. ICSC-Goldman's weekly same-store sales rate fell 0.7 percent in the October 11 week with the year-on-year rate down 1 tenth to plus 3.8 percent. For October as a whole, the report sees year-on-year sales coming in at plus 3.5 to 4.5 percent.

Meanwhile:

Redbook's same-store year-on-year sales rate slowed sharply in the October 11 week, to plus 3.8 percent from an outsized plus 5.4 percent in the prior week. Despite the slowing, Redbook describes the week's sales as positive led by fall apparel and Halloween shopping. Redbook notes that Halloween falls on a Friday this year which retailers see as a positive for traffic. It also notes that some retailers are displaying Halloween and Christmas merchandise side-by-side in an effort to kick-start holiday sales.