Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Weakness
in Sears’ CE and major appliances businesses dragged same-store sales down 5.3
percent in November and December.
More than half the
decline was attributable to CE, Sears said, although majaps also contributed to
the downturn.
The decline was steepest
in December, when same-store sales fell 6 percent, giving Sears a 3.8 percent
year-to-date decline in comp sales through Jan. 1.
The declines mirror the
December and quarterly comp-store results reported last week by
and
.
In contrast, sister discounter
Kmart posted positive comps across the board, with same-store sales up 3.4
percent in November and December, 2.3 percent in December, and nearly 1 percent
year to date through Jan. 1.
Kmart attributed the holiday-period
gains to the popularity of its layaway program and strength in its non-CE
hardlines categories.
Based on the results,
parent company Sears Holdings said it expects to report net income of $130
million to $210 million for the full fiscal year ending Jan. 31. Sears will
release its 2010 earnings report on Feb. 24.
