ShopperTrak reports 4.2% rise in year-over-year weekly sales
Chicago ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate Wednesday reported that year-over-year GAFO retail sales increased 4.2% for the week ending May 1, while sales rose 3.8% versus the previous week ending April 24.
Both yearly and weekly sales increased last week as retailers experienced the annual spike in consumer activity as Mother’s Day approaches. Showing additional retail strength, April sales were positive as compared with the same period last year despite only containing three shopping days for Easter due to the 2010 calendar shift -- as opposed to April 2009, which contained most of the holiday’s spending.
“Right now our data continues to point to some recovery in retail as April was positive despite losing some solid shopping days due to the retail calendar shift,” said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. “Looking ahead we anticipate sales will slow a bit following Mother’s Day but will grow again toward the end of May as Memorial Day and graduations draw near.”
Each month, the SRTI measures traffic across five separate retail segments: total U.S. traffic (combines enclosed malls and retail stores); total retail stores; enclosed malls; apparel and accessories stores; and wireless and consumer electronics stores. Rich with national and regional data, and with traffic measured on a weekly basis, the SRTI reports provide valuable insights into trends and reveals differences in shopper traffic between regions and retail segments.