Core stores hit hard in November

Cary Allington of ActionWatch sent new data for November that showed sales at core stores in the ActionWatch panel continued to deteriorate in November compared with November 2007.

In October 2008, same-store sales at core stores declined 12.3 percent. The ActionWatch retail panel includes approximately 200 stores. The same-store sales panel includes approximately 100 of those stores that have been in the panel for a year and thus can provide year-over-year comparison data.

Here's Cary's report.

"Core shops were hit even harder in November than they were in the prior month. Overall same-store sales for November compared to last year were down over 17%. Fleece tops were down over 25%, but sales of woven tops (which includes flannels) were down only 1%."

Our chart for the year shows how core store business was on an uptick until spring.

It fell hard in April, recovered in May, and then sales have eroded steadily since the summer.