Carter Hawley Posts Loss of $72.7 Million : Retailing: The department store chain’s loss in the quarter was partly because of a $40-million provision for planned store closings.

Carter Hawley Hale Stores said Monday that it lost $72.7 million in its second quarter ended Feb. 2, partly because of a $40-million provision for some planned--but unspecified--store closings.

Analysts have predicted that Los Angeles-based Carter Hawley--parent of the Broadway and the biggest department store company in the West--would close some unprofitable locations. They noted that Carter Hawley, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection in February, could take advantage of provisions under federal bankruptcy law allowing indebted companies to break real estate leases.

Carter Hawley’s announcement, however, was the first official indication that the closings may begin soon.

Bill Dombrowski, a Carter Hawley spokesman, said an undetermined number of stores would be closed some time before the company’s fiscal year ends on Jan. 31, 1992. However, he said the company had not yet decided which outlets would be closed.

He said the company had no uniform set of criteria for determining any store closings.

The $72.7-million loss for the quarter contrasts dramatically with the $20 million in net earnings Carter Hawley recorded during the same period a year ago. The company had sales of $752.2 million in the latest quarter, a 23.6% decline from $984.8 million during the same period last year.

Carter Hawley said the size of the quarterly loss also stems from provisions for $12 million in costs associated with its recently announced plans for consolidating its Weinstocks and Emporium chains. The company last month said it would combine the two Northern California department store chains and eliminate 300 to 350 jobs to reduce expenses.

In connection with its bankruptcy filing, Carter Hawley changed its accounting calendar year so that Feb. 2 also marked the end of its past fiscal year. During the 26-week fiscal year ended Feb. 2, the company posted a loss of $87.6 million on sales of $1.32 billion.

During the previous fiscal year, the 52-week period ended Aug. 4, Carter Hawley lost $26 million on sales of $2.86 billion.