The May Department Stores Company Reports Sales For April

The May Department Stores Company Reports Sales For April 


ST. LOUIS, May 5  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The May Department Stores Company
[NYSE: MAY] reported preliminary net sales of $1.08 billion for the four-week
period ended April 30, 2005, a 20.0% increase from $902 million in the similar
period last year.  Store-for-store sales increased 1.5%.

Sales comparisons in April 2005 benefited from the movement of a major sales
promotion event from the last week of fiscal March 2004 to the first week of
fiscal April 2005.

Net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2005 were $3.37 billion, a 13.7%
increase compared with $2.96 billion during the first quarter of fiscal 2004.

  Net sales were as follows:

                            Fiscal     Fiscal    Percent   Store-for-Store
  (dollars in millions)      2005       2004     Increase     Inc./(Dec.)


  April                   $1,082.0     $901.5      20.0%        1.5%
  First Quarter            3,369.3    2,962.9      13.7         (5.1)



Net sales include merchandise sales and lease department income.  Store-
for-store sales compare sales of stores open during both years beginning the
first day a new store has prior-year sales and exclude sales of stores closed
during both years.  During April, May's Bridal Group opened one David's Bridal
store in Iowa, and two After Hours Formalwear stores in Minnesota and Florida.

The May Department Stores Company currently operates 490 department stores
under the names of Famous-Barr, Filene's, Foley's, Hecht's, Kaufmann's, Lord &
Taylor, L.S. Ayres, Marshall Field's, Meier & Frank, Robinsons-May,
Strawbridge's, and The Jones Store, as well as 241 David's Bridal stores, 450
After Hours Formalwear stores, and 11 Priscilla of Boston stores in its Bridal
Group.  May operates in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

For more information, contact Sharon Bateman at [phone]. 

DATASOURCE: The May Department Stores Company



CONTACT:  Sharon Bateman, [phone], for The May Department Stores

Company

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