Weekly retail sales rise 5.5%
New York City A study released Tuesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs found that chain-store sales for the week ended April 24 rose 5.5% from the year-earlier period.
On a week-over-week basis, sales inched up 0.2%, the sixth straight weekly gain.
"Sales continued to improve over the latest week, helped by robust customer traffic, especially at discounters, department and apparel stores," said Michael Niemira, ICSC's chief economist. "The release of pent-up demand continues to help lift the underlying spending profile for today's consumers."
For April, ICSC continues to expect monthly sales to be flat to down 3%.