Total Sales

The severe snowstorm over Presidents Day weekend kept shoppers away from Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.'s stores, crimping February sales at stores open at least a year, the Hampstead-based men's apparel retailer said yesterday. The company said that same-store sales - a key benchmark for retailers - decreased 1.9 percent last month. But total sales for the retailer, which sells suits, casual clothing, sportswear, footwear and accessories, rose 7 percent, from $14.4 million to $15.4 million, as Bank gained additional sales from newly opened stores.

Retailers slashed prices the day after Christmas as much as 60 to 80 percent and extended hours to attract customers, but it appears their efforts will not be enough to salvage a dismal holiday shopping season. Early figures indicated a drop of as much as 8 percent in holiday spending this year, and retail observers reported lackluster crowds yesterday at malls and big box stores nationwide. "Everybody was saying it's going to be the second Black Friday," said Shavoune Desper of Laurel, who was shopping at Arundel Mills mall with her aunt Yolanda Townsend and several nieces and nephews.

Mortgage delinquency at 4.34% in Maryland in first three months The mortgage delinquency rate in Maryland was higher than the regional and national average during the first three months of this year, according to the latest National Delinquency Survey released by the Mortgage Bankers Association. While the national rate fell to its lowest point in 28 years, Maryland's delinquency rate of 4.34 percent surpassed the South Atlantic region's rate of 4.04 percent and the national rate of 3.45 percent.

Procrastinators and shoppers lured by after-Christmas bargains added a last-minute surge that likely pushed retail sales up an estimated 5 percent from last year, ending a string of rotten Christmas seasons. Earlier this month, sales were hurt by snowstorms that kept shoppers indoors, but heavy buying just before Christmas and in the week after helped most retailers meet their goals. Baltimore-based Gage World Class Menswear has seen a 7 percent increase in sales so far this month and said most of it came the week of Christmas.

Strong sales of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.'s sportswear line and increased production overseas have led the Hampstead-based men's apparel company to add two top management positions. Thomas Teves, who previously managed $285 million in retail sales and 61 stores for North Carolina-based Belk Department Stores, was hired for the new position of vice president and general merchandise manager of sportswear and furnishings. Frank Barbarino was promoted to the new position of divisional vice president of worldwide sourcing, Bank said.

Joppa-based Merry-Go-Round Enterprises Inc. says sales for the four-week period ending Nov. 3 increased 27 percent to $43.4 million, up from $34.2 million in the same period last year.Total sales for the third quarter ending Nov. 3 increased 24 percent to $161.7 million, up from $130.1 million during the same quarter of 1989.Merry-Go-Round is a specialty apparel chain selling contemporary fashions for young men and women nationwide. It has 640 retail stores in 37 states.

DETROIT - Autos sales at General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG fell more than forecast last month as U.S. buyers opted for cars made by Japanese and European rivals and consumers stepped back from the year's earlier buying spree, the companies reported yesterday. Sales of North American-built cars and trucks fell 5.8 percent at GM and 3.1 percent at Ford. DaimlerChrysler, beset by an aging minivan lineup, said its sales excluding Mercedes-Benz fell 9.8 percent. The results by the three biggest automakers in the United States pulled industrywide sales down an estimated 1.4 percent, even as Toyota Motor Corp.

Keeping pace with increased January retail sales nationwide, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. reported yesterday that its sales for the month rose slightly and that the company expects to "significantly exceed" its full-year earnings guidance for fiscal 2001. The Hampstead-based men's apparel retailer said its total January sales rose 0.8 percent to $12.8 million, compared with $12.7 million for the corresponding period last year. Bank's sales at stores open at least a year - a key barometer in the retail industry - were down 8.7 percent, compared with January 2001.

Hechinger Co.'s sales improved last month after a disappointing May.The Landover-based home improvement chain said sales rose by 21 percent overall compared with June 1993, and increased by 4 percent in stores open for at least a year.That was far better than the May results, when the home-center company's management blamed poor weather for a 3 percent decline in same-store sales.Still, one Wall Street analyst said the results announced yesterday "were a little disappointing."Lynn Sawyer, who follows retailers for investment house NatWest Securities Corp.

U.S. consumers might not be buying with confidence, but at least they're buying.Most large retail chains reported yesterday that they rang up healthy sales increases in February, and almost a dozen reported comparable-store gains in double digits.Wal-Mart Stores, as it has so often, led the way among the largest retailers with a 20 percent jump in sales at stores that were also open a year ago.Comparable-store sales are considered a better gauge of a retailer's performance than total sales.

Shoppers are expected to make today the most lucrative day after Christmas in history, retailers and analysts say. At some stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, it is expected to be the biggest day of the year. Retailers are hoping for good news because this holiday season has been disappointing to many. Although most analysts expect sales at stores overall to be 3 percent to 6 percent higher than last year's dismal holiday numbers, in September retailers were gleefully predicting double-digit growth.

Global food retailer Royal Ahold NV, owner of Giant Food Inc. and Columbia-based U.S. Foodservice, said yesterday that first-quarter sales at its U.S. supermarket chains rose a better-than-expected 4.8 percent. Sales at U.S. stores open at least a year, a key gauge of a retailer's performance, grew by 2.4 percent, the Netherlands-based Ahold said. The U.S. results helped boost investor confidence in the embattled company, which said last week that it had overstated profits at U.S. Foodservice by $880 million.

Retailer Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. said yesterday that same-store sales rose 2.4 percent in March, one sign that first-quarter profit will likely be up over last year's. The Hampstead-based men's apparel chain said sales rose 12.2 percent, to $23.9 million, in the fiscal month that ended April 5, compared with $21.3 million in March 2002. Combined catalog and Internet sales rose 3.7 percent in March, the company said. "Despite a difficult economy and consumer anxieties regarding the war in Iraq, we continue to have sales increases that are among the best in the industry," said Robert N. Wildrick, Bank's chief executive officer.

The severe snowstorm over Presidents Day weekend kept shoppers away from Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.'s stores, crimping February sales at stores open at least a year, the Hampstead-based men's apparel retailer said yesterday. The company said that same-store sales - a key benchmark for retailers - decreased 1.9 percent last month. But total sales for the retailer, which sells suits, casual clothing, sportswear, footwear and accessories, rose 7 percent, from $14.4 million to $15.4 million, as Bank gained additional sales from newly opened stores.

Continuing a streak that now stands at four months, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. said yesterday that its same-store sales increased 2.4 percent last month. That helped boost sales in the third quarter 7.8 percent, the company said. Company officials were pleased with gains made at the Hampstead-based men's apparel retailer. "This is a continuation of a good trend for the year," said Chief Financial Officer David E. Ullman. "We're pleased we're beating last year's numbers. ... The market for tailored clothing isn't growing, so we're getting the business from some of our competitors."

Strong sales of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.'s sportswear line and increased production overseas have led the Hampstead-based men's apparel company to add two top management positions. Thomas Teves, who previously managed $285 million in retail sales and 61 stores for North Carolina-based Belk Department Stores, was hired for the new position of vice president and general merchandise manager of sportswear and furnishings. Frank Barbarino was promoted to the new position of divisional vice president of worldwide sourcing, Bank said.

Despite a strong rise in catalog and retail sales at new stores, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. said yesterday that its same-store sales decreased 1.5 percent for the quarter ended May 3 compared to the same period of 1996.Timothy F. Finley, chairman and chief executive officer, said he was pleased with the results, however, because the Hampstead-based company's total sales for the quarter were up 6.2 percent, to $38.7 million from $36.4 million in 1996."Overall they were pretty good," he said.

SALISBURY -- Food Lion Inc. yesterday attributed a 9.5 percent decline in same-store sales to allegations raised in an ABC-TV expose on Nov. 5 that purported to show widespread unsanitary practices at the company.The Salisbury, N.C.-based supermarket chain said the decline would "negatively impact" fourth-quarter earnings, but it did not say how much.Total sales in the four-week period that ended Nov. 28 fell 1.4 percent, to $501.7 million from $508.6 million. Year-to-date, the company posted a same-store sales increase of 0.1 percent.

Keeping pace with increased January retail sales nationwide, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. reported yesterday that its sales for the month rose slightly and that the company expects to "significantly exceed" its full-year earnings guidance for fiscal 2001. The Hampstead-based men's apparel retailer said its total January sales rose 0.8 percent to $12.8 million, compared with $12.7 million for the corresponding period last year. Bank's sales at stores open at least a year - a key barometer in the retail industry - were down 8.7 percent, compared with January 2001.

DETROIT - General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler division said yesterday that U.S. vehicle sales rose last month as zero percent loans helped the industry record its second-best sales year. Sales increased 7.2 percent over December 2000 at General Motors and 2 percent at Ford, including imports and big trucks. Chrysler gained 6.2 percent, beating analyst forecasts. Honda Motor Co.'s U.S. sales rose 7.8 percent, while one analyst predicted a 2.9 percent increase for Toyota Motor Corp.