Same Store Retail Sales Climbing, Commentary Mixed

Redbook's same-store sales tally has been climbing, up 4 tenths in the October 31 to a year-on-year plus 1.9 percent. But the report's commentary is mixed, saying some retailers benefited from Halloween shopping though it said the fact that Halloween fell on Saturday actually kept shoppers out of stores on Halloween itself. The report's month-to-month reading shows no meaningful change against September. But the report's outlook for the key shopping month of November is very strong, forecasting 2.8 percent year-on-year same-store sales growth for the month.