Macy’s and Saks July sales a downer

CINCINNATI, Ohio Macy’s and Saks reported weak sale performances during July.

Macy’s reported total sales of $1.377 billion for the four weeks ended Aug. 1, 2009, a decrease of 10.7% compared with total sales of $1.543 billion in the four weeks ended Aug. 2, 2008. On a same-store basis, Macy’s sales also were down 10.7% in July.

Saks announced that owned sales totaled $159.7 million for the four weeks ended August 1, 2009 compared to $187.7 million for the four weeks ended August 2, 2008, a 14.9% decrease. Comparable-store sales decreased 16.3% for the month.

The Saks Fifth Avenue stores experienced continued weakness across all merchandise categories during the month. Saks Direct and Saks OFF 5TH showed relative strength in July.