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November Retail Sales Sparkle for Holidays
December 10,
2009 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 11, 2009
Retail sales rose 1.3 percent in November, marking the third increase in the past four months, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
That's the good news. The bad news is that furniture sales dropped for the month. Apparel sales also declined.
Furniture-store sales dropped 0.7 percent, while sales at clothing stores fell 0.7 percent, the largest decline since June. Miscellaneous store sales dropped 1.8 percent.
Excluding the 1.6 percent rise in car sales, sales rose 1.2 percent, the fastest since January.
It was the strongest sales report since August when retail sales jumped 2.4 percent.
Sales at electronics stores rose 2.8 percent, the biggest increase since January. Sales at building-materials stores increased 1.5 percent, the largest rise since April 2008.
Sales at nonstore retailers like catalogs and online stores, increased 1.2 percent. Sales at general merchandise stores rose 0.8 percent.
Unlike last year, when the economic downturn caught everyone off-guard, retailers were able to plan ahead this holiday season with an eagle eye on low inventory and aggressive discounts, said Rosalind Wells, chief economist with the National Retail Federation. Retailers are encouraged to see momentum building in sales as they prepare for the final ten days before Christmas. Although November sales were encouraging, companies know that the holiday season is far from over and expect this year to come down to its usual photo finish.