Year-over-year retail sales on a seasonally adjusted basis (excluding cars and gas) rose 4.4 percent in November, with the apparel and electronics categories performing particularly strongly, according to numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Electronics sales rose 4 percent in November — their biggest jump since July. Apparel sales were up 4.1 percent, general merchandise store sales increased 3.6 percent and building supply stores saw a 3.5 percent rise. Health and personal care retail sales went up 3.1 percent, and food-and-beverage stores recorded a 3 percent increase.
Electronics sales were strong, rising 4 percent over the same month a year ago
Year-over-year sales at restaurant and drinking establishments increased 5.6 percent in November. Non-store sales — a category that includes online transactions by physical and e-commerce retailers as well as catalog retailers — rose 10.8 percent.
“Overall, November was a solid month and an early indication of a good holiday season,” said Jean Lambert, vice president of ICSC Research.
By Edmund Mander
Director, Editor-In-Chief/SCT
