Holiday season ends on high note as sales increase 1.1%, according to NRF

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), “Retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) for December rose 2.3% unadjusted year-over-year and fell 0.5% seasonally adjusted from November.

“As a result, preliminary 2009 holiday sales, which combine the full months of November and December, rose 1.1% to $446.8 billion, surpassing NRF’s projected decline of 1.0%.

“‘With an eye on managing inventory and maintaining lower price points, retailers did a tremendous job of planning for the holiday season,’ said NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells. ‘While the consumer appears to be spending again, double digit unemployment numbers will remain an impediment to maintaining this momentum.’”

Look under the Retail News tab for the story, Retailers: Be on the lookout for the 2009 State of the Industry Survey, to learn how you, our retailer partners, can help CBA assess sales performance in our industry.