NEW YORK – U.S. chain store sales slowed last week following the rise during the Columbus Day sales in the prior week a report showed Tuesday.
Sales at major retailers rose 3.2 percent on a year-over-year basis for the week ended Oct. 21, following a 3.5 percent increase the week before, said Redbook Research, an independent company.
Sales at U.S. retailers rose 1.3 percent when compared with the same period in September.
"Retailers said demand for seasonal clothing continued along with cooler weather, boosting both traffic and average sales tickets especially in department stores. Discount store apparel sales, however, were disappointing," Redbook said in a statement.
The Johnson Redbook Index is a sales-weighted index of year-over-year same-store sales growth in a sample of large US general merchandise retailers representing about 9000 stores.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox