J. C. Penney Company, Inc. said comparable store sales decreased 3.3% for the four weeks ended May 1, 2010, while total sales decreased 3.7%. For the first quarter, comparable store sales increased 1.3%, and total sales increased 1.2%.
Sales during the month reflected a shift of pre-Easter selling into the March reporting period. For the period, womens accessories, shoes and handbags, and mens were the top performing merchandise divisions. Geographically, the central and northeast regions had the best sales performance.
Preliminary April Sales Summary | ||||||||||||||||||
| ($ in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total Company Sales | % Increase/(Decrease) | |||||||||||||||||
| for period ended | Total Sales | Comp Stores | ||||||||||||||||
| May 01, | May 02, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
4 Weeks | $ | 1,219 | $ | 1,266 | (3.7 | ) | (5.0 | ) | (3.3 | ) | (6.6 | ) | ||||||
13 Weeks | $ | 3,929 | $ | 3,884 | 1.2 | (5.9 | ) | 1.3 | (7.5 | ) | ||||||||
