Limited, Abercrombie receipts decline in June (at bizjournals.com)

Central Ohio's two largest hometown apparel merchants continued to see declines in a key sales measure even as the summer selling season opened. Columbus-based Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE:LTD) and New Albany-based Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) on Thursday reported declines in June sales at stores open at least a year. Same-store sales at Limited Brands fell 9 percent, and receipts dropped 3 percent at A&F. Limited Brands' strongest performer in June was its La Senza chain of Canadian lingerie shops, which saw a 5 percent gain in same-shop sales. Receipts at Victoria's Secret, the U.S. counterpart of La Senza, slipped 12 percent. Total sales at Limited fell 15 percent to $1.02 billion in June from $1.21 billion a year earlier. Total sales for the first five months of its fiscal year were down 16 percent to $3.61 billion... [read full story]