Retail

CostCo (COST) Beats Back Weak Consumer

CostCo (COST) moved against the trend of weak consumer retail sales in December.

Same-store sales rose 7 percent, boosted by higher U.S. gas prices at home and the weak dollar at its international stores.

The company said gas prices were 27 percent higher on average in the December period, pushing U.S. same-store sales 5 percent higher. Excluding the gas inflation, the increase was 4 percent. At its international stores, the weak dollar versus the Canadian and U.K. currencies led to a 16 percent gain. In local currencies, international sales rose 5 percent.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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