Did April Showers Bring May Sales?

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- As the old saying goes, April showers bring May ... pent-up demand for spring sales. But could this push-back could come at the expense of gross margins?

Retailers will report monthly same-store sales results on Thursday, and Wall Street is expecting much of the same: those companies that have outperformed will continue to do so, while those that have struggled won't fare much better. Overall, the International Council of Shopping Centers is calling for an increase in same-store sales between 3.0% and 3.5% for May. As it stands, inventory growth has caught up with sales growth, and in some cases, surpassed it, creating a tougher backdrop for margins even before retailers grappled with the challenge of higher sourcing costs, Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Fassler wrote in a note. Several retailers have already fallen short of gross margin expectations in the first quarter. Retailers will aim to remain clean ahead of the fall and back-to-school selling season, which could mean further discounts, which could also hamper margins. The key to investing in retail in this market is to remain selective and focus on those companies that are poised for organic growth and have pricing power, Fassler suggests. Read on, then, for a preview of May same-store sales results from some top retail players.... Add Comment Tweet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Last » Next â?º adsonar_placementId=1341527;adsonar_pid=879768;adsonar_ps=-1;adsonar_zw=600;adsonar_zh=280;adsonar_jv='ads.adsonar.com'; try { function DM_onSegsAvailable(segs, cust_id) { for (var i=0;i //* Global Functions *// function metadataRegisterNS(ns){ var nsParts = ns.split("."); var root = window; for(var i=0; i Dow Jones S&P 500 NASDAQ 10-Year Note 12357.84 1321.95 2791.28 29.68 Oil * 114.54 DOWN -211.95 DOWN -23.25 DOWN -44.02 DOWN -0.82 10 Yr 2.97% SPDR Gold 150.43 -1.69% -1.73% -1.55% -2.69% Data delayed 20 minutes Most Popular Stories and Tools var randnum = Math.floor(Math.random() * 100) if (randnum < 45) { document.write("Ex-Dividend Date Calendar"); document.write("Cramer's Latest Picks from Mad Money"); document.write("Bank Safety Ratings and Screener"); document.write("Top-Rated Stocks"); document.write("Highest-Yielding Dividend Stocks"); document.write("Warren Buffett's Portfolio"); } else { document.write("10 Best Dow Dividend Stocks"); document.write("Top 10 'Buy'-Rated Stocks Under $5"); document.write("10 Cities Unaffected by a Bad Economy"); document.write("13 Ugliest Phones of the Mobile Era"); document.write("10 Celebrities Who Lost Big Financially"); document.write("10 Best Craft Beer Vacation Destinations"); } Twitter Facebook RSS Mobile App adsonar_placementId=1341369;adsonar_pid=879768;adsonar_ps=-1;adsonar_zw=320;adsonar_zh=280;adsonar_jv='ads.adsonar.com'; Brokerage Partners Free Newsletters from TheStreet

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