Unseasonably warm weather and the hurricanes in the Southeast were in part to blame for what Ben Cammarata, chairman and acting chief executive officer of the company, calls disappointing results. But he also blames the performance on poor execution. "We've allowed the growth of our business to distract us from the fundamentals that got us here," he said during TJX's conference call. "This will no longer be the case as we move forward."

Net sales crept up 6%, to $4 billion. One category in particular that had trouble was women's sportswear, where comparable sales fell 6%. Menswear, as well as the jewelry, accessories and footwear categories were cited as well-performing areas. Regions that boasted the highest same-store sales were the Southwest, the West and Florida, which together averaged in the mid-single digits.

The company's 1,513 T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores posted flat same-store sales. The 244-store HomeGoods home-furnishings chain rose 1%, and A.J. Wright, a 152-unit general-merchandise chain, rose 2%. Winners and HomeSense, the company's 229-store Canadian chains were up 4% in US dollars, while T.K. Maxx, its 197-unit British concept, fell 5%.

During the quarter, TJX opened 89 stores, most of them in the T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. Bob's Stores, a Northeast-based athletic chain, actually decreased its store count over the period, closing two units and bringing it down to a total of 34.