Apparel Retailers Win Despite Lighter NE Mall Traffic: Consumer Biz Recap

Lingering residuals from Sandy and worries over the fiscal cliff might have contributed to lighter weekend traffic and sales at malls in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, thinks analyst Eric Tracy at Janney. However, there were still winners such as Foot Locker (NYSE:FL), with its strong conversion and vendor price increases helping comparables, along with its impressive product pipeline. Another honorable mention was The Finish Line (NASDAQ:FINL) with its broader promotional stance over 2011 plus basketball luring the most shoppers. Also, Dick’s Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS) keeps prospering from what they termed “generally favorable athletic footwear and apparel trends” with Tracy saying that, “In general, we believe Nike (NYSE:NKE) and Under Armour (NYSE:UA) were the winners at Dick’s.”

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