May was a good month for many specialty retailers, and it's apparent that clothing -- in particular women's apparel -- was flying off the racks. With Memorial Day and summer beach holidays and barbecues approaching, shoppers took the opportunity to update their summer wardrobes, adding up to some pretty exciting same-store sales figures.
Ann Taylor
Talbots
However, Chico's blew Talbots away, with its same-store sales increasing 17.9% and total sales rocketing 50.7%. It's not hard to imagine, since we got a taste of Chico's charms last week when it reported first-quarter earnings. (Chico's wasn't kidding when it said its strong trends were continuing into May!)
Motley Fool Stock Advisor
pick Gap
Limited
Another women's retailer, bebe
Doing a quick comparison, Ann Taylor's forward P/E of 15 makes it look like one of the cheapest stocks in the bunch, and it may be worth a closer look. The risk is whether it can succeed in its goal of bringing new success to Ann Taylor by integrating what has worked for Loft. Meanwhile, though Chico's has a rich forward P/E of 28, it looks like an interesting stock to watch, given what appears to be a runaway popularity with shoppers.
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Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.