Nordstrom's August sales increase leads department stores

Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom posted a better-than-expected increase in a key monthly sales figure Thursday, citing strong demand for jewelry, dresses and women's shoes.

Nordstrom said sales at stores open at least a year rose 6.3 percent in August, beating Wall Street's prediction for 5.9 percent growth.

Nordstrom's same-store sales gain was the highest among eight department-store chains tracked by Kantar Retail. Macy's posted a 4.3 percent increase in the August sales figure, while Neiman Marcus recorded a 2.9 percent gain. Moderately priced Kohl's had the second-highest increase, up 4.5 percent.

Nordstrom's total monthly sales rose nearly 14 percent from a year ago to $615 million.

The company said transactions at its full-line stores rose for the 12th month in a row, offset somewhat by a decline in the average ticket price.

Still, Nordstrom faced a fairly easy comparison in August 2009, when same-store sales fell 7.6 percent from the same month in 2008.

Nordstrom's full-line division posted a 7.8 percent increase in last month's same-store sales, while the direct division, which includes its website, had a 3.7 percent gain.

The company said recent improvements to its online order-fulfillment capabilities bolstered the direct division's prior-month results by allowing Anniversary Sale purchases to be completed more quickly. Counting July and August together, the direct division saw sales rise 18.6 percent from a year ago.

Meanwhile, Nordstrom's off-price Rack division posted a 4.2 percent decline in August same-store sales.

Nordstrom stock is up $2.05 cents to $32.37 in mid-day trading Thursday.

Amy Martinez: 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com