Sales at Chain Stores Sluggish in October

Sales at U.S. chain stores stayed subdued in the last week of October, getting the fourth quarter off to a sluggish start, a report said.

Sales at major retailers rose 3.2% on a year-over-year basis for the week ended Saturday, up slightly from the preceding week’s 3.1% pace, said Redbook Research, an independent company. Sales in October were down 0.6% compared with September.

The Redbook data are compiled from a sample of same-store sales at general merchandise retailers representing about 9,000 stores. Same-store sales measure revenue at stores open at least a year.