WASHINGTON–U.S. retail sales totaled $355.8 billion in January, up 0.5 percent from December, indicating that the industry is slowly emerging from the economic troubles of last year.
As reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, the total also represented a pickup of 4.7 percent from January of 2009. The increase included a 1.5 percent December-to-January gain in sales for general merchandise stores. Department stores (excluding leased departments) registered a 0.2 percent increase, while furniture and home furnishings stores experienced a 1.4 percent sales drop.
Commenting on the Census Bureau’s figures, the National Retail Federation said retailers took advantage of post-holiday sales and gift cards in January, both of which enabled them to offer special deals on products in a variety of categories.
“We continue to see the economy show subtle signs of improvement,” said Rosalind Wells, NRF’s chief economist. “While the recovery still has a long way to go, we remain encouraged by the latest retail sales figures.”