United States retail sales in April were somewhat mixed, according to data respectively issued today by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau and the National Retail Federation (NRF).
According to the data, April retail sales, at $705.2 billion, were flat compared to March and up 3.0% annually. Total retail sales, from February through April, rose 3% compared to the same period a year ago.
April retail trade sales were up 0.4% over March and were up 2.7% annually. And non-store retailers, which include e-commerce sales, headed up 7.5% annually, with food services and drinking places posting a 5.5% increase.
NRF reported that February’s core retail sales, which it bases on Census data and excludes automobile dealers, gasoline stations, and restaurants, fell 0.2% on a seasonally-adjusted basis compared to March and were up 3.9% on an unadjusted basis annually. It added that core retail sales headed up 3.8% annually through the first four months of 2024, which NRF said was in line with its 2024 retail sales forecast of annual growth between 2.5%-to-3.5%.