Wal-Mart July sales up 9.4%

BENTONVILLE, Ark. Wal-Mart Stores reported that total company sales for the 4 weeks ended Aug. 1 increased 9.4% to $30.2 billion from $2.6 billion last year.

For the four-week period, total comparable-store sales increased 3.7% (including fuel).

"We believe our businesses are well positioned for the current economy," said Tom Schoewe, evp and cfo. "We estimate U.S. comparable- store sales, excluding fuel, for the August four-week period to be between 1% and 2%, because we still see sales volatility from week to week, especially around paycheck cycles."