By HEATHER LANDY
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
FORT WORTH — Pier 1 Imports will take a more promotional stance this month, with new advertisements and more prominent


displays of lower-priced merchandise, after July sales at stores open at least a year fell 14.9 percent from the same month last year.

Weak shopper traffic and a drop in the percentage of browsers who turned into paying customers offset an increase in the average transaction size at the stores, which have been struggling for 2 1/2 years to revive sales.

“The home-furnishings sector continues to be under pressure due to a worsening macro-economic environment that is limiting non-essential household purchases. We have responded by maintaining lean inventories,” Pier 1 Chairman and Chief Executive Marvin Girouard said in a statement.

But other chains in the sector had a stronger performance in July. Sales at Haverty Furniture Cos. stores open at least a year rose 8 percent, and total orders for the month reached record levels, the company said. And furniture was one of the top-performing categories last month at Dillard’s Inc., although weak sales of children’s and junior’s apparel resulted in a 3 percent same-store sales decline for the chain.

Overall, sales at U.S. stores open at least a year rose 3.5 percent from last July, said Michael Niemira, chief economist of the International Council of Shopping Centers. The trade group tracks monthly sales results for 60 retail chains. The results were better than forecast, indicating that consumers are shrugging off high gas prices and record-breaking summer temperatures to splurge at the mall.

“Obviously, the hot weather helped to clear out summer goods, but it was not a catalyst for back-to-school demand,” Niemira said.

Wal-Mart Stores posted a 2.4 percent July same-store sales gain, led by groceries and basic household goods. But early price breaks on school supplies also helped, the world’s largest retailer said.

Sales rose 3.1 percent at Target Corp., 4.9 percent at J.C. Penney Co., and 6 percent at Costco Wholesale Corp. Specialty clothing chains posted mix results. Sales rose 3 percent at Abercrombie & Fitch Co., but fell 13 percent at Gap Inc.’s namesake chain.