NRF Retail Monitor Reports Ninth Month of Sales Growth

July 13, 2026  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

“The summer shopping season got off to a strong start in June,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Consumers took advantage of summer sales events, and many got an early jump on back-to-school shopping. The willingness to spend on retail goods has been supported by the retail industry’s laser focus on affordability as well as a durable labor market. Year-over-year gains look particularly strong compared with a weak June 2025.”

Total retail sales, excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations, were up 0.33% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 9.41% unadjusted year over year in June, according to the Retail Monitor. That compared with increases of 0.42% month over month and 7.19% year over year in May.

The Retail Monitor calculation of core retail sales (excluding restaurants in addition to auto dealers and gas stations) was up 0.36% month over month in June and was up 10.08% year over year. That compared with increases of 0.39% month over month and 6.98% year over year in May.

The unusually large year-over-year increases were because of the comparison against slow sales in June 2025. Calculated on a seasonally adjusted basis to compensate, total sales were up 4.26% and core sales were up 4.23%.

Unadjusted total sales were up 6.81% year over year during the first half of the year, and core sales were up 6.84%.

Unlike survey-based numbers collected by the Census Bureau, the Retail Monitor uses actual, anonymized credit and debit card purchase data compiled by Affinity Solutions and does not need to be revised monthly or annually.

June sales were up across the board on a yearly basis, led by sporting goods, electronics and clothing stores, and were up in all but two of nine categories on a monthly basis. Specifics from key sectors include:

Sporting goods, hobby, music and book stores were up 0.45% month over month seasonally adjusted and up 18.53% year over year unadjusted.

Electronics and appliance stores were down 0.01% month over month seasonally adjusted but up 14.16% year over year unadjusted.

Clothing and accessories stores were up 0.63% month over month seasonally adjusted and up 13.65% year over year unadjusted.

Digital products (such as electronic books and games) were up 1.25% month over month seasonally adjusted and up 13.56% year over year unadjusted.

Health and personal care stores were up 0.5% month over month seasonally adjusted and up 12.87% year over year unadjusted.

General merchandise stores were up 0.29% month over month seasonally adjusted and up 9.9% year over year unadjusted.

Grocery and beverage stores were up 0.25% month over month seasonally adjusted and up 5.26% year over year unadjusted.

Furniture and home furnishings stores were down 0.16% month over month seasonally adjusted but up 4.92% year over year unadjusted.

Building and garden supply stores were up 0.06% month over month seasonally adjusted and up 4.04% year over year unadjusted.

To learn more, visit nrf.com/nrf/cnbc-retail-monitor.