Talbots issues fourth-quarter warning

LOS ANGELES Feb 6 (Reuters) - Talbots Inc (TLB.N) on Wednesday warned that it expects to post a fiscal fourth-quarter loss of 23 cents to 28 cents per share, excluding items, after same-store sales fell 6 percent.

Analysts, on average, had been looking for a loss excluding items of 18 cents per share for the fourth-quarter ended Feb. 2.

"Unfortunately, worsening economic conditions in the fourth quarter exacerbated problems that we had already recognized and have been working to address, and impacted our near-term performance," Talbots Chief Executive Trudy Sullivan said in a statement.

The retailer, which operates Talbots and J. Jill brands, also said it expects to report a fourth-quarter net loss of $2.10 to $2.15 per share. (Reporting by Lisa Baertlein)