Modest sales growth for apparel retailers in September

New York -- Apparel retailers reported modest sales growth for the month of September, fueled by back-to-school spending early in the month.

• 
  L Brands said its September same-store sales rose a better-than-expected 6%, with growth across its banners. Net sales increased 9% to $853.5 million.

• 
  Zumiez also outperformed expectations, with same-store sales rising 6.6%.

• 
  Cato Corp’s September same-store sales increased 5%, while total sales increased 9% to $79.7 million.

• 
  At The Buckle, same-store sales rose 2.2%, with net sales up 4.1% to $103.1 million.

In other same-store sales results for September:

• 
  SteinMart reported a 4.9% increase. Total sales for the five-week period ended Oct. 4 of $119.4 million, a 6.5% increase.

• 
  At Fred’s, same-store sales increased 0.2%. Total sales for September increased 3.3% to $183.6 million.