Limited same-store sales fall 9 pct in Feb

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Limited Brands Inc (LTD.N) said on Thursday sales at established stores fell 9 percent in February and forecast a drop for March, citing a continuing slump in mall traffic.

Analysts on average had been expecting a decline of 10.7 percent for same-store sales.

The operator of the Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works chains said total sales fell to $614.4 million for the four weeks ended March 1 from $730.5 million a year earlier.

Sales at Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works stores open at least a year both fell 10 percent in February while La Senza stores posted a same-store sales increase of 1 percent.

The company said it expects a high-single-digit drop in sales at established stores in March.

(Reporting by Jennifer Coogan; editing by Mark Porter and John Wallace)