Retailers Report Lackluster Sales in March : Economy: Analysts say the combination of poor weather and a belated Easter kept many shoppers’ wallets closed.

It was a dull, gray March for the nation’s retailers, which reported disappointing sales.

Between cold and rainy weather in some areas and a belated Easter that gives people more time to shop--many consumers had no reason to make purchases last month. Several retailers said in reporting March results Thursday that business fell below expectations.

Industry analysts said it was hard to get a handle on the underlying health of the business, if weather and calendar quirks were factored out.

“The environment is pretty sluggish and retailers are promoting pretty aggressively to generate sales,” said Rick Nelson of Duff & Phelps in Chicago.

But analyst Steven Kernkraut of the investment firm Bear, Stearns & Co. said the retail business is generally good. “I think that it would be wrong to assume that consumer spending is going into the tank,” he said.

Jeffrey Edelman, an analyst with C.J. Lawrence Inc., said there were signs that sales of women’s apparel, which have been stagnant for more than two years, were picking up.

Most retailers and securities analysts consider March and April sales together when assessing how well the overall industry and individual companies are doing.

Many of the sales figures released Thursday looked considerably weaker than they actually were because of the late Easter. Still, results were considered disappointing.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation’s largest retailer, said sales from stores open at least a year--known as same-store sales--rose 2.2% from last March, while total sales were up 11.4%.

Same-store sales are considered the most accurate measure of a retailer’s strength. They exclude the results of newer stores, where sales tend to be unusually high. Same-store sales also exclude results from stores closed over the past year.

Sears, Roebuck & Co. said same-store sales advanced 2.3% and that overall sales rose 3.7%.

Kmart Corp. said same-store sales rose 4.3%, while overall business was up 7%.

Dayton Hudson Corp. said same-store sales dropped 4.7% and that overall business was up 0.2%.

J.C. Penney Co. said same-store sales at its flagship stores fell 5.5%, while total sales, including its drugstore and catalogue operations, fell 4.4%.

May Department Stores Co. reported a 2.9% same-store sales drop and a 2.8% increase overall.

Federated Department Stores Inc. said same-store sales fell 2.5%, while overall business rose 76.7%. The overall sales increase reflects Federated’s acquisition of R.H. Macy & Co.

Broadway Stores Inc. said March same-store sales fell 9.8%, while overall sales fell 4.6%.