The TJX Companies, Inc. Reports October 2005 Sales; Updates Third Quarter Earnings Per Share Outlook

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 2005--The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) today reported October 2005 sales results. Sales for the four-week period ended October 29, 2005, were $1.32 billion, up 4% over the $1.27 billion achieved during the four-week period ended October 30, 2004. For the 39 weeks ended October 29, 2005, sales reached $11.3 billion, a 7% increase over last year's $10.6 billion. Consolidated comparable store sales for the four-week period ended October 29, 2005, decreased 2% versus last year. For the 13-week, third quarter, comparable store sales were flat versus last year. For the 39-week, year-to-date period, consolidated comparable store sales increased 1% over last year.

Ben Cammarata, Chairman and Acting Chief Executive Officer of The TJX Companies, Inc., stated, "Our comparable store sales decrease of 2%, versus last year's strong 7% increase, was softer than we expected, as unseasonably warm weather in many regions of the U.S., as well as in Canada and the U.K., adversely impacted sales. Additionally, due to Hurricane Wilma, 75 stores in Florida were closed for a period of time during the month, which negatively impacted comparable store sales by approximately one percentage point. Lastly, as temperatures cooled towards the end of the month, we saw an acceleration of our sales. With October sales falling short of our expectations, we now expect third quarter earnings per share to be approximately $.34."

The TJX Companies, Inc. is the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide. The Company operates 795 T.J. Maxx, 718 Marshalls, 244 HomeGoods, and 152 A.J. Wright stores, as well as 36 Bob's Stores, in the United States. In Canada, the Company operates 172 Winners and 57 HomeSense stores, and in Europe, 197 T.K. Maxx stores. TJX's press releases and financial information are also available on the Internet at www.tjx.com.

October and November Sales Recordings

A recorded message with more detailed information regarding TJX's October 2005 sales results, operations and business trends is available via the Internet at www.tjx.com, or by calling [phone] through Thursday, November 10, 2005. Additionally, the Company expects to release its November 2005 sales on Thursday, December 1, 2005, at approximately 8:15 a.m. ET. Concurrent with that press release, a recorded message with more detailed information regarding TJX's November sales results, operations and business trends will be available via the Internet at www.tjx.com, or by calling [phone] through Thursday, December 8, 2005.

Third Quarter Fiscal 2006 Earnings Conference Call

The Company expects to release third quarter fiscal 2006 earnings on Tuesday, November 15, 2005, before 9:30 a.m. ET. At 11:00 a.m. ET that day, Bernard Cammarata, Chairman and Acting Chief Executive Officer, and Carol Meyrowitz, President of TJX, will hold a conference call with stock analysts to discuss the Company's third quarter results, operations and business trends. A real-time webcast of the call will be available at www.tjx.com. A replay of the call will also be available at www.tjx.com or by dialing [phone] through Tuesday, November 22, 2005.

Archived versions of the Company's recorded messages and conference calls are available at www.tjx.com after they are no longer available by telephone.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENTS UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995: Various statements made in this release are forward-looking and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. All statements that address activities, events or developments that we intend, expect or believe may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. The following are some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: our ability to continue successful expansion of our store base; risks of expansion; our ability to successfully implement our opportunistic inventory strategies and to effectively manage our inventories; consumer confidence, demand, spending habits and buying preferences; effects of unseasonable weather; competitive factors; factors affecting availability of store and distribution center locations on suitable terms; factors affecting our recruitment and employment of associates; factors affecting expenses; success of our acquisition and divestiture activities; our ability to successfully implement technologies and systems and protect data; our ability to continue to generate adequate cash flows; general economic conditions, including gasoline prices; potential disruptions due to wars, natural disasters and other events beyond our control; changes in currency and exchange rates; import risks; adverse outcomes for any significant litigation; changes in laws and regulations and accounting rules and principles; effectiveness of internal controls; and other factors that may be described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not undertake to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized.