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For the first five months of 1999, apparel sales were up 2.8% in dollars and 2.9% in units over the same period last year, indicating that average prices were stable. In dollar sales growth, children’s apparel outpaced men’s and women’s apparel. Children’s apparel sales increased 3.8% in dollars and 3.3% in units, while women’s apparel sales were up 2.7% in dollars and 1.8% in units. Men’s apparel sales grew faster than women’s or children’s in units, but lagged behind both in dollars. For the five-month period, increases of 2.5% in dollar sales and 4.5% in unit sales were seen for men’s apparel.
Home fabric dollar sales grew faster than dollar sales of apparel for the five-month period. Home fabric sales increased 3.7% in dollars and 1.5% in units. In dollar sales, sheets/sheet sets led with a gain of 4.4%, followed by increases of 3.4% for other bedding (comforters and bedspreads) and 1.0% for towels/towels sets. Sheets/sheet sets also outpaced other categories in unit sales, with a 12.1% gain, compared with a 4.1% gain for towels/towel sets and a 3.8% decline for other bedding. The average price of home fabrics increased 2.2% for the period. |
