JCP posts flat holiday sales

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

JCPenney’s holiday sales were flat this year over last.

J. C. Penney Co. Inc. announced Friday that its comparable store sales for the combined nine-week November and December period resulted in a 0.8 percent decline over the same period last year, which equates to a 3.1 percent positive two-year stack of comparable store sales for the same time period.

Other retailers also did not post stellar sales this holiday season.

Macy’s Inc. said earlier this month that its sales declined by 2.1 percent in the months of November and December 2016 combined, compared with the same period last year.

Sales at Kmart stores declined in the range of 12 percent to 13 percent in November and December, which are the first two months of Sears’ fiscal fourth quarter.

The National Retail Federation expects retail sales in November and December — excluding autos, gas and restaurants — to increase a solid 3.6 percent to $655.8 billion. Online sales are forecast to increase between 7 and 10 percent over last year to as much as $117 billion. Full holiday sales will be released by the NRF next week.