Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. retail sales rose for the first time in 13 months as September results at American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Kohl’s Corp. topped analysts’ estimates and discounts drew shoppers back to stores.

Sales at U.S. chains open at least a year climbed 1.1 percent last month, according to Swampscott, Massachusetts-based Retail Metrics Inc. Seventy percent of retailers reported sales results that exceeded the average of estimates compiled by Retail Metrics, said Ken Perkins, president of the researcher.

While shoppers have shifted spending away from big-ticket items, retailers have had a year to change their product assortments and offer lower prices, according to Richard Hastings, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based consumer strategist for Global Hunter Securities LLC.

“The consumer has less spending capacity but the industry’s learning ability is very strong,” Hastings said in a telephone interview today. “The consumer is less frightened than it was one year ago.”

Same-store sales at American Eagle were unchanged in September, compared with the 4.4 percent drop predicted by the analysts surveyed by Retail Metrics. Comparable sales at Kohl’s, the fourth-largest U.S. department-store chain, rose 5.5 percent, beating a 0.6 percent projected decline.

American Eagle, based in Pittsburgh, rose $1.48, or 8.9 percent, to $18.14 at 4:15 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading, the largest one-day gain in six months. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based Kohl’s added $1.43 to $59.97.

Easier Comparisons

Retailers faced easier year-over-year comparisons starting last month, according to Perkins. Sales in September 2008 dropped 0.1 percent, probably attributable in part to the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. on Sept. 15, after five months of gains, according to Perkins.

A later Labor Day pushed more back-to-school sales to September from August, probably luring more shoppers into stores early in the month to take advantage of holiday deals, according to Christine Chen, an analyst at Needham & Co. in San Francisco. Many U.S. schools open the week after Labor Day, which fell on Sept. 7 this year, compared with Sept. 1 in 2008.

“We expect teens will succumb to peer pressure now that school has started, which could lead to incremental sales in October as they shop for the hottest trends after seeing what others are wearing,” Chen said in an Oct. 6 note.

The International Council of Shopping Centers said September comparable chain-store sales excluding Wal-Mart Stores Inc. rose 0.1 percent, the first gain the New York-based trade group has noted since July 2008. Walmart, the world’s biggest retailer, doesn’t report monthly sales.

October Sales

October sales will be little changed, Mike Niemira, chief economist of the ICSC, said in a telephone interview.

American Eagle said third-quarter profit will probably be 24 cents to 26 cents a share, after previously forecasting 22 cents to 25 cents. Kohl’s said earnings will be 52 cents to 54 cents a share, compared with an earlier prediction of 40 cents to 44 cents.

Cooler weather at the beginning of the month also probably increased demand for fall season merchandise, said Richard Jaffe, an analyst at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. in New York.

Macy’s Inc., Limited Brands Inc. and Aeropostale Inc. also reported September sales results that exceeded estimates. TJX Cos. and Ross Stores Inc. beat analysts’ estimates for September sales as shoppers sought bargains. Both also raised their profit forecasts.

U.S. holiday sales for the last two months of the year will probably fall 1 percent to $437.6 billion from the same period in 2008, the National Retail Federation forecast on Oct. 6. That’s not as steep as last year’s decline of 3.4 percent, the first drop since the Washington-based NRF started tracking holiday sales in 1995.

Holiday shoppers will continue to flock to discount retailers and warehouse clubs as they shop on tighter budgets, according to Rosalind Wells, the federation’s chief economist.

To contact the reporter on this story: Allison Abell Schwartz in New York at aabell@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 8, 2009 16:25 EDT