The low interest rate environment again boosted investment in the home as Bombay, Sharper Image and Jo Ann Stores made the list as Top retail performers spurred by increased advertising and new products. ... A return to more formal dressing and a complement of more casual offerings translated into solid growth at both Mens Wearhouse and Jos A Bank. ... The success of D.E.M.O. at Pacific Sunwear and good growth in all areas of Hot Topic's comps proved that where the boys are, girls will follow. ... The exclusive, private label designs at Chicos found favor with women. ... There is no "wall" to Walgreen's sustained comp increases in both pharmacy and front-end while lower pricing spurred growth in BJ's Wholesale.

Abysmal results in August of 2002 contributed significantly to some companies making our list of "Rising Stars", while others like Bombay, continue to sustain their strong performance. ... The decision to lower prices benefited comp growth at both BJs and The Children's Place. ... A focus on home (home appliances and lawn and garden) improved Sears while refocused merchandising boosted Bon Ton and aggressive promotions bolstered BeBe and Ann Taylor, which were accessorized by shoes at DSW. ... A better than usual back to school made Duckwall quack with pleasure while Mens Wearhouse recovered from a double-digit decline in 2002.

After saying goodbye to men in July, Gadzooks has said hello to too few junior girls through the month of August with the loss of juniors also apparent at Deb Shops and Abercrombie and Fitch. … Wet Seal is optimistically looking forward to the contributions of its new management under the leadership of Allan Harms. … Bob's thinks that people are going back to school late this year and will recoup in September…American Eagle was singing a 'Bluenote' in August as merchandise mix left much to be desired across Company brands. … Kohl's continued to invade Mervyn's domain as Cato continued to struggle to attract attention. … Talbot's suffered from a lack of clearance merchandise while Elder Beerman continued to just suffer.

It would appear that the kids went back to school this year with a thinner wardrobe than prior years as apparel sales continued to slump in August as evidenced by the number of apparel retailers in our falling stars including Bob's Stores, Deb Shops, Mother's Work, Abercrombie, Stage Stores and United Retail. … Gadzook's exacerbated the problem by introducing its outerwear offerings too early. … Big Lots found it tough to significantly improve on its prior year comps, but still came in at a very respectable increase continuing to reap the benefits of its merchandising and store initiatives.

A fairly strong back to school season helped most industries report modest comp gains on average while the home oriented consumers spurred stronger gains in Consumer Electronics, Fabrics and Notions, and Home Furnishings. ... On the whole, Apparel Stores and Department Stores were weighed down by some substantially negative performers while the seemingly recession proof Drug Stores were impaired by some less than stellar performers. ... A focus on value drove even the worst Mass Merchant performer into positive territory.