P.M. BRIEFING : Weather Dampened Retail Sales

Unseasonal weather in parts of the country made May a sluggish month for retailing, major chain stores reported today.

Big general merchandisers and discounters as well as specialty and department stores posted modest to middling sales gains for the month.

“We believe the May sales results were disappointing but principally reflected adverse weather conditions in the second half of the month, particularly in the East and Midwest,” said Merrill Lynch retail analyst Jeffrey Feiner.

Colder-than-normal temperatures and unusually heavy rainfall in some areas were blamed for keeping customers away from stores. The abnormal conditions banished thoughts of buying new summer apparel or seasonal merchandise, such as air conditioners and outdoor furniture.

Sears merchandise group said its sales for the four weeks ended June 3 edged up 0.9% to $2.5 billion. No. 2 ranked K mart Corp. posted a 10.4% May sales increase to $2.44 billion. May Department Stores Co. reported a 9% sales increase to $725.2 million, while The Limited Inc. said its sales rose 16% to $359.7 million.