21.   For the last few years, Sears has been using a strategy of increasing apparel sales.

22.   Gains in athletic apparel, shoes and furniture could not offset slow apparel sales, the company said.

23.   Harrigan thinks there will be an upturn for apparel sales, which have been down for the past several years.

24.   Growth in apparel sales, by comparison, are expected to be flat or in the low single digits in the coming years.

25.   Improved apparel sales could also help Dayton Hudson Corp., which reported a big earnings jump today, mostly led by its Target discount chain.

26.   Indeed, even with colder-than-normal temperatures in many regions, analysts said apparel sales were strong in March.

27.   It also attributed much of the rise to cold weather, which spurred apparel sales.

28.   It was the fourth straight month of healthy apparel sales, following two years of waning demand.

29.   It was the fourth straight month of robust apparel sales, following two years of slack demand.

30.   It was the fourth straight month of robust apparel sales, following two years of sluggish demand.