LOS ANGELES, Jan 5, 2006/ --- As sales reports trickle this week, retailers are showing decent increase in sales and comparative store sales with only Chico's FAS, Inc., a specialty retailer catering to teens and twenty something posting record sales and an increase of 34.3% compared to last year.

Based in Florida and operating 763 women's specialty stores in the U.S. and its territories, Chico’s announced that for December 2005, sales were $172.6 million, a 34.3% increase from $128.5 million last year. Comparable store sales for the Company-owned stores increased 16.4%.

Commenting on Chico’s stellar financial performance, Scott A. Edmonds, President and CEO, said, "We are pleased to report, particularly in an increasingly competitive marketplace, our 106th consecutive month of positive same store sales, as well as our 9th consecutive month of double digit positive same store sales.”

Seattle-based Nordstrom did not do as well as Chico’s but posted a very decent 10.7% increase in sales, reporting $1.16 billion sales for December 2005, compared to $1.05 billion last year. Comparative same-store sales were pegged at 7.7% increase.

The Limited Brands eked out 5% increase with net sales of $1.911 billion compared to net sales of $1.815 billion last year and comparable store sales increasing 3%.

Discount retail giant Wal-Mart reported a very decent 6.3% increase in sales of $40.826 billion compared to $38.424 billion last year, with comparable store sales of 2.2% increase.

Year-to-date results were better though, with 9.5% increase from $265.013 for December 2004 to $290.288 for December 2005. YTD comparable store sales were pegged at 3.5% increase.

Considered the bellwether of the retail sector, Wal-mart’s ‘decent’ sales might be what we will be seeing as more store file their financial statements.

Sears Holdings, owner of K-mart and Sears stores did not do as well. Kmart comparable store sales increased by 1.0% as higher apparel sales were partially offset by a decline in home goods.

Sears domestic comparable store sales declined by 11.9% reflecting a reduction in certain promotional events intended to improve gross margin and poor apparel sales due to weaker than anticipated customer response to fashion offerings.

Big Lots, a discounter based in Ohio fared better than Sears Holding with a 6.1% increase in sales, posting $708.1 million for December 2005 compared to $667.5 million during the same period last year. Its comparable same-store sales were reported as 2.3% increase.