Tue Sep 22 08:35:00 -0400 2009

Reuters (San Francisco)

- U.S. retailers have had a year to reposition their businesses to prepare for a recession Christmas, but early forecasts are that 2009 holiday sales will likely be flat to down versus last year’s depressed level, with the possibility of a 1 percent rise at most.

Telsey Advisory Group analyst Joseph Feldman said investors are realizing 2009 holiday sales may not show any improvement from 2008. But they do expect fourth-quarter same-store sales trends to show some improvement from the current third quarter. “If the fourth quarter took a downturn from the third quarter, that would be viewed as very negative,” he said.

To view the full article, download the PDF here: Reuters, September 22, 2009