• by Sarah Mahoney , April 13, 2007

Most observers were expecting retailers to put up respectable year-to-year comparisons for the month of March: After all, Easter did come early this year. But thanks to warm weather in much of the country, numbers came in stronger than expected--so strong that many are worried that April sales will be weaker as a result.

Kohl's was among the biggest winners, as same-store sales surged 16.8%--far ahead of expectations. It also upped its April estimate to 5%. And at J.C. Penney, which recently embarked on a massive rebranding strategy, sales gained 10.6%, and Internet sales increased 15.5%.

Federated Department Stores, by contrast, said same-store sales gained just 2.3%--it had predicted numbers between 2.5 and 4%. The company, which will soon go simply by its Macy's name, blamed the disappointment on weaker home-furnishing sales and softer apparel sales in markets that were unseasonably cold.

But higher-end department stores continue to be a bright spot: Nordstrom same-store sales gained 15%, while sales at Saks rose 10.1%.

Results among specialty retailers also perked up. Gap Inc., which has been struggling, reported a gain of 6% overall: Sales were up 4% at its North American Gap stores, while weak internationally, 8% at its Banana Republic stores, and 10% at its Old Navy chain. And Limited Brands Inc., which also owns Victoria's Secret, reported an 8% increase in March.

Teen retailers also stayed hot, with American Eagle's same-store sales up 20%, Zumiez up 17%, Aeropostale up 16%, Wet Seal 10.9 %, and Abercrombie & Fitch up 7%.

Target, which posted a bouncy 12% same-store sales gain, says it expects April sales to decline between 2% and 4%. (The company also says it will expand the number of its U.S. stores by 33%). At Wal-Mart, sales gained just 4%, and it warned that its April sales would likely come in flat, or down 2%. The company also warned investors that earnings for the quarter would miss expectations.