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Many stores stepped up discounting in August to get shoppers to buy. Teen retailer Aeoropostale Inc. offered 50 percent discounts on its entire merchandise over Labor Day weekend. Ann Inc.'s low-priced Loft cut prices by 50 percent on select full-price items and added another 50 percent off on sale items. Gap Inc., which operates stores under its namesake, Old Navy and Banana Republic, announced late Thursday that its revenue at stores opened at least a year rose 2 percent. Analysts had expected a 2.2 percent gain. Conversely, automotive retailer AutoNation Inc. on Thursday issued a report that new vehicle sales climbed 32 percent in August, led by strong sales of premium luxury vehicles. The report from AutoNation followed robust August sales from companies in the auto industry, which had its best month in six years. Roxanne Meyer, an analyst at UBS, wrote the "overall retail environment remains choppy" in a note published earlier this week.
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