As Groucho said on many an occasion, "Chicos got the goods" and women agreed placing them at the top of our Top Ten...Like the geyser Old Faithful, Walgreen remains ensconced in the rarified air that only our best performers enjoy...Niche apparel featuring music themes were a "Hot Topic" while Claires accessorized newly attired fashion forward women embarking on their fall look...The twenty something crowd got the "Fashion Bug" as this unit of Charming Shoppes was all a buzz...Let's not forget the Moms as they and their charges returned to the Childrens Place and full shopping bags dragged this specialty retailer into this special category...The oft repeated phrase, "baby needs a new pair of shoes" brought the family to DSW for "in" comparable bargins that soothed the sole...BJs made members smile as they continue to bulk up in the battle of the clubs...Proving that the home remains the consumer's bastion Haverty Furniture and Sharper Image rang up record sales.

In addition to basking in the sunshine that is the exclusive territory of Top Ten Performers, Childrens Place, Fashion Bug, BJS, and Haverty also carried home Rising Star trophies...Sears was the only member of our Most Improved firms that remained in negative territory but its disappointing apparel sales benefited from hardlines...The clubs were well represented with the Big Three (Costco, BJs and Sams) all ranking as Rising Stars, up from marginal comp performances last year...Moderate priced indulgence had women seeking the "works" at Bath & Body Works...Contemporary private label offerings found favor with women, bolstering Bebe...Women led the way for Saks with Men's and Children's categories more poorly performing.

When you're in, you're in and when you're out, you're out. Nowhere is this more true than retailers catering to the teen and young adult markets...Former high fliers Abercrombie, Kohls and American Eagle all made our list as Bottom Ten performers with Kohls feeling the sting of less seasonal buying...Even value prices did not find favor with consumers as weather and wildfires wreaked havoc at Cato and Factory 2-U...Tough comparisons and tougher competition took the weeee! out of Gymboree...Both Mervyn's and Marshall Fields fell far short of their "Target"...Warmer weather whacked Wilsons Leather...Month over month improvement but still quite negative, Gadzooks has not yet schooled consumers to its all-girl format.

How the mighty have fallen!! Strong double digit comparable store sales increases last October make the significant declines for October 2003 much less palatable for Kohls, Gymboree, Aeropostale, Shoe Carnivale, and JC Penney...Fewer promotions and unseasonably warm weather plagued Shoe Carnivale, Aeropostale and Stage while sales of home goods and accessories failed to provide enough pennies to offset soft-line performance at Penneys...Gadzooks' format change caused comps to fall far...Naturalizer stands all alone as the sole falling retailer to report a positive comp.

October was a trick rather than a treat for most of the retail sector with the median comp a modest decline...Even some outstanding performers in Apparel and Department Stores failed to offset pressure from weather and consumer belt tightening...Value priced core items and the need to "nest" spurred shoppers to shop Mass Merchants, Electronics purveyors, Home Furnishers and Other Retail Stores while the need for health care necessities pushed Drugs...Supplies to put boats in drydock kept Sporting Goods shipshape while Footwear faltered from fickle feet.