March Retail Sales Disappoint

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), retail industry sales for March (which exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) decreased 0.6 percent seasonally adjusted from February, and dropped 3.7 percent unadjusted over the last year.

“A chilly start to spring and a late Easter combined for dreary March sales,” says Rosalind Wells, chief economist for NRF. “To compensate for the Easter shift, retailers typically look at March and April together to get a better look at how their stores performed. Easter should give a much-needed boost to April sales.”

Read the full story here.