Cato Corp, a retailer of women’s fashions, reported a 3 percent increase in their August same-store sales in a press release Thursday.

“August same-store sales exceeded our expectations,” said CEO John Cato. “We continue to be encouraged by our current trend; however, we remain cautiously optimistic about the rest of the year given the difficult retail environment and the impact of the new tariffs.”

The company’s sales for August were up 1 percent at $56.7 million. Cato operates 1,299 stores in 31 states, down 51 stores from last year.

Cato’s year-to-date same-store sales increased 2 percent, however, the sales for the thirty weeks ending Aug. 31 were down 1 percent at $494.8 million compared to last year.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Cato operates the “Cato,” “Versona” and “It’s Fashion” concepts. Shares traded at $16.56 on Thursday, up 18 cents.