June Retail Sales Take a Hit

July 12, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on July 2007 U.S. retail sales fell 0.9 percent in June, representing the largest decline since August 2005, according to the government.

Excluding automobile sales, retail sales for the month dropped 0.4 percent, the largest decline since September. Take out gasoline and sales fell 0.3 percent, the biggest decline in three years.

Furniture sales fell 3 percent, the largest drop in four years, and sales of electronics and appliances fell 1.4 percent.

The bright spots for retail came from health and personal care stores with a 1.2 percent increase; food and beverage stores, 0.4 percent increase; sporting goods, music, book and hobby stores, 0.4 percent increase; and general merchandise stores, 0.3 percent increase.

Sales at non-store retailers such as catalogs and online stores rose 1.2 percent.