Furniture Sales Outshine May Retail Numbers

June 10, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 11, 2010 Furniture sales were a bright spot in the latest retail sales figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department.

Sales of furniture rose 1 percent in May, while overall retail sales fell 1.2 percent as consumers pulled back on spending. The overall decline was the first and the largest since September 2009 when sales fell 2.2 percent.

Consumer electronics and appliance stores also advanced with a 0.6 percent increase.

The report said car sales and parts dropped 1.7 percent in May. Excluding automobiles, all other retail sales fell 1.1 percent, after rising 0.6 percent during April. Gas station sales in May plummeted 3.3 percent.

Other highlights included a 0.3 percent increase in health and personal care sales, and mail order and Internet retail sales jumped 2 percent. Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores posted a 0.4 percent sales increase.