Despite weak holiday sales, analysts don't expect Target Corp. to close the curtains on the department store chain Mervyn's.
Hayward-based Mervyn's California reported sales of $647 million for the five weeks ended Dec. 30. That's a 2.4 percent drop from the same period last year.
Sears Roebuck & Co. has announced it would close 89 stores following poor sales and Montgomery Wards has filed for bankruptcy.
But analysts say Mervyn's is still a viable business for Target and the chain helps its parent company spread out its costs.
"Systems that have been deployed in the Target division were rolled out to Mervyn's," said Mark Miller, an analyst with William Blair & Co. "That's given Mervyn's better info."
Mervyn's provides much needed cash flow to fund Target's stock-repurchase plan, some retail analaysts say. Others disagree and predict that Mervyn's is headed for tough times.<
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