Kohl's August same-store sales down 0.6 percent

(Adds details from call)

NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Department store chain Kohl's Corp (KSS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Thursday that August sales at stores open at least a year fell 0.6 percent, citing "some softness" in the U.S. Southern and Southwest regions.

Analysts, on average, were expecting the company's same-store sales to rise 3 percent, according to Reuters Estimates.

The retailer said total sales for the four weeks that ended Sept. 1 rose 7.1 percent to $1.2 billion.

The company continues to expect a same-store sales increase of between 2 and 4 percent for the fiscal third quarter, a spokeswoman said on a recorded call.

The timing of sales for the remainder of the current quarter would be affected by the onset of colder temperatures and a retail calendar shift, the spokeswoman said.

Kohl's shares were down 1.6 percent at $54.36 on the New York Stock Exchange.

((See here -- Reuters' retail and consumer blog))