Retailer Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. saw another drop in same-store sales last month, while Wet Seal Inc. saw a slight gain at the low end of its forecast.
Anaheim-based Pacific Sunwear, which runs about 1,2000 surfwear and hip-hop stores, reported a 3.2% drop in sales at stores open at least a year. The drop was more than Wall Street had expected.
Analysts on average forecast a 2.9% fall in same-store sales.
Sales at dominant surfwear chain PacSun fell 2.1% The company’s smaller d.e.m.o. chain was off 9.4%.
The news came a day after an analyst upgraded his rating on Pacific Sunwear based on turnaround efforts.
The company is working to reverse a sales slump that plagued most of last year.
Foothill Ranch-based Wet Seal, which runs mall clothing stores for girls and young women, saw December same-store sales rise 1.3%.
Last month, Wet Seal warned that its same-store sales would come in lower than previously thought.
The company said it expected growth of 1% to 3%, down from an earlier view in the low to mid-single digits.
The tepid sales growth is the first bump in what was a big turnaround year in 2006 for Wet Seal, which struggled with fashion missteps and other problems earlier in the decade.
