Haverty Furniture same-store sales fall in April

Haverty Furniture Cos. Inc. on Tuesday said same-store sales fell 2.7 percent in April as the weak home furnishing market persisted.

Same-store sales, or sales in stores open at least one year, is a key gauge of a retailers performance because it measures sales at existing stores rather than newly opened ones.

Total April sales rose 0.6 percent to $54 million.

Year-to-date, same-stores sales fell 5.5 percent, while total sales fell 2 percent to $239.2 million.

Home furnishing retailers are feeling pressure as consumers cut back on big-ticket items such as furniture amid a rising cost of living, the housing slump and tightening credit markets.