-BTM-UBSW: Latest US chain store sales biggest gain since May 12
--BTM-UBSW sees June chain store sales +2.0% to +2.5%
New York, June 19 (BridgeNews) - The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi/UBS Warburg said Tuesday its weekly chain store index for the week ending June 16 was up 1.0%, with sales generally "on to above plan," BTM-UBSW said. The latest rise was the strongest since the week of May 12 which led to Mother's day. For the month of June, BTM-UBSW expects June sales to rise by 2.0% to 2.5%, a little better than the 1.5% growth rate in May, the report also said.
* * * A bout of seasonally hot weather pushed demand for summer apparel and other hot-weather items such as fans and air conditioners, the report said. In addition, Father's Day sales also helped sales performance in the latest week, it said. On a regional basis, sales momentum in the west continued to outpace the rest of the nation with some retailers also noting relative strength in the Northeast.
But overall, customer traffic remained sluggish in the latest week despite a number of retailers selectively promoting more aggressively to drive traffic, the report said. For the month of June, BTM-UBSW said that the latest week showed some improvement, especially among seasonal goods, even after soft performance in the first week of the month. The index was up 1.2% on a year-on-year basis, BTM-UBSW said. End End