Target Corporation said its net retail sales for the five weeks ended July 3, 2010 were $5,918 million, an increase of 4.0% from $5,690 million for the five weeks ended July 4, 2009. On this same basis, June comparable-store sales increased 1.7%.

“Sales remained relatively soft for the second month this quarter, though we continued to experience favorable merchandise sales mix, effective retail expense control and strong profitability in our credit card segment,” said Gregg Steinhafel, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Target Corporation. “Sales trends in apparel, food, healthcare and beauty remained strong in June, while sales in electronics, video games, music and movies were particularly soft for the month. We continue to plan our business cautiously, with a focus on disciplined execution of our strategy across the company.”
 
Target’s current sales disclosure practice includes a sales recording on the day of the monthly sales release. Consistent with this practice, a new message was recorded earlier today. The next sales recording is expected to be issued on Thursday, August 5, 2010. These recordings may be accessed by calling 612-761-6500.

Target Corporation’s retail segment includes large general merchandise and food discount stores and Target.com, a fully integrated on-line business. In addition, the company operates a credit card segment that offers branded proprietary credit card products. The company currently operates 1,740 Target stores in 49 states.