Nov 6, 2009

U.S. November same-store sales seen rising 5-8 pctBy Reuters.com

Seattle, WA – The International Council of Shopping Centers said it expects November same-store sales to increase 5 percent to 8 percent, one of the more optimistic forecasts ahead of the holiday shopping season.

The wide range for the outlook shows how volatile consumers’ shopping patterns are, said Michael Niemira, the ICSC’s chief economist.

“November is the real challenge in terms of trying to forecast,” Niemira said. “There always are question marks on how consumers will (shop).”

Still, the expectation was for a big uptick in November sales, given the dismal results of a year earlier, he said.

This holiday season, consumers are still looking for bargains while retailers have significantly cut inventories. That sets up a tug-of-war when it comes to discounts, which makes it more difficult to judge the season’s sales, Niemira said.

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