WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Heavy discounting by retailers in the days after Christmas didn't prevent the industry from turning in its worst holiday-season performance since at least 1970, and the situation isn't likely to improve before spring at the earliest.

That is the view of the International Council of Shopping Centers(ICSC), which said that, based on its estimate that sales in the week ended on Dec. 27 fell 1.8 percent below year-earlier levels, it now expects same-store sales in December to decline by at least one percent, according to The Wall Street Journal Wednesday.

The numbers are compiled by the shopping-center group and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

The outlook for many retailers, however, is even worse. Excluding the results of discount giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which has been outperforming its rivals, sales at stores open at least a year -- a key barometer of retail performance -- could fall as much as 8 percent below year-earlier levels, according to Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at the shopping-center group.

The industry's poor performance in December follows an even more dismal November, when same-store sales at retailers tracked by the ICSC fell 2.7 percent, the biggest monthly drop since the group began recording year-to-year changes in sales in 1970.

In an interview, Niemira said he expects the tough environment to continue for at least the next three months.

Standard & Poor's also issued a grim outlook on Tuesday, saying: "with the economy in a recession and consumers in turmoil due to sharp declines in discretionary incomes and rising unemployment, we see 'stay-away-from-stores' behavior continuing well into 2009."
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