NEW YORK — Heavy discounting and the first wave of tax rebate spending helped lift retail sales in July, but the nation's biggest merchants nonetheless issued mixed results Thursday.

HOW THEY DID

July same-store sales reported by the five largest retailers (sales compare the current year's sales with those of the previous year):     • Wal-Mart Stores Inc., up 6 percent.     • Kmart Corp., up 3.4 percent.     • Target Corp., up 4.6 percent.     • J.C. Penney Co., up 2.2 percent (J.C. Penney stores only).     • Sears, Roebuck and Co., down 3 percent (domestic stores only).

        The big winners continued to be discounters and low-priced chains including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp., a sign that massive layoffs and weakening stock portfolios are keeping consumers price-sensitive.Department stores, particularly Saks Inc., and apparel chains including the Limited Inc. again suffered languishing sales amid piles of discounted summer apparel.

        Said Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard Retail Trend Report: “Discounters and low priced stores were again the only winners ... Consumers kept their hands in their pockets, and as a result, stores were empty.”

        Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores, owner of Macy's, Lazarus and Bloomingdale's, said July sales in stores open at least a year fell 4.2 percent from last year. For the four weeks ended Aug. 4, the company said total sales slumped 6.4 percent to $1.09 billion, mostly because of a 30 percent sales drop by Fingerhut and the closing of its Stern's division.

        Saks Inc., dragged down by a weakening consumer demand for luxury products, reported that same-store sales were down 4.8 percent, worse than what analysts expected.

        Elder-Beerman Stores of Dayton posted a 4.3 percent drop in same-store sales in July. The operator of 63 stores said sales during the second quarter ended Aug. 4 were $130.5 million, representing a 2.3 drop in same-store sales.

        Enquirer reporter James McNair contributed.

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