Last Surge Boosts Holiday Sales Past Last Year's Total

Late holiday shoppers—in the week leading up to Christmas and on the day after—provided the boost to lift 2011 holiday sales past the same period last year, according to data released Wednesday.

Consumers spent approximately $44 billion in GAFO retail sales for the week ending Dec. 24, a 37.8 percent increase over the previous week and a 14.8 percent gain over the same week last year, according

Weekly Holiday Internet Retail Sales Up 16%

The most recent week for holiday Internet sales, ended Dec. 25, saw a 16 percent increase in spending, year-over-year, to $2.8 billion, according to comScore, a company that measures digital data and provides digital business analytics.

The figure is an expected steep drop from the record-breaking $6.28 billion for the prior week, ended December 18, the last week where delivery of online orders

Santa Boosts Consumer Confidence Index

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which surged nearly 15 points in November, increased another nine points in December. The Index now stands at 64.5 (1985=100), up from 55.2 in November. The Present Situation Index increased to 46.7 from 38.3. The Expectations Index rose to 76.4 from 66.4.The CCI is now at back to levels that it last saw in April when it was at 66 points.“Consumers

August Retail Sales Flat as Consumer Spending Stalls

Retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) in August increased 0.1 percent seasonally adjusted over July and 6 percent unadjusted year-over-year, according to the monthly survey by the National Retail Federation, a retail trade association. The NRF results are in line with data released by the U.S. Commerce Department that shows total retail sales (which

Consumer Confidence ‘Deteriorates’ in August

De Beers Beverly Hills store. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which improved slightly in July, plummeted in August. The Index now stands at 44.5 (1985=100), down from 59.2 in July. It is the lowest reading since April 2009. The Present Situation Index decreased to 33.3 from 35.7. The Expectations Index decreased to 51.9 from 74.9 last month.“

Slight Gain in Consumer Conference Index for July

Kim Kardashian shopping in Beverly Hills. Photo credit: FlynetPictures.com
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in June, improved slightly in July. The Index now stands at 59.5 (1985=100), up from 57.6 in June. The Present Situation Index decreased to 35.7 from 36.6. The Expectations Index rose to 75.4 from 71.6 last month.

“Consumer confidence posted a modest

NRF: Retail Sales Up 0.3% in June

Retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) in June increased 0.3 percent seasonally adjusted from May and 5.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year, according to data from the National Retail Federation, which notes that it’s the 12th conservative month of retail sales growth.The organization said warm weather, lower gas costs and strong Father’s Day promotions

NRF: March Retail Sales Up Nearly 4%

Retail sales in March increased across the board for the ninth straight month, according to the National Retail Federation. Sales for March (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) increased 0.6 percent seasonally adjusted from February and 3.9 percent unadjusted year-over-year.
“Shoppers last month were eager to take advantage of retailers’ spring promotions on everything from

Holiday Retail Sales Up 5.7%

Retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) for December rose 5.3 percent unadjusted year-over-year and 0.5 percent seasonally adjusted from November, according to the National Retail Federation.
As a result, preliminary sales for the November and December 2010 holiday season rose 5.7 percent to $462 billion, surpassing NRF's forecast of 3.3 percent. This

Fewer People Spent More on Luxury Jewelry

Luxury jewelry spending increased 3 percent, year-over-year, in the third quarter of 2010, according to American Express Business Insights. The average transaction size for luxury jewelry purchases increased 6 percent while transaction volume for the category fell by 3 percent.These are much lower numbers than what was reported by the Spend Sights Report—Luxury Retail survey for the prior two

Holiday Jewelry Sales Up 8.4%, Luxury Sales Up 6.7%, Total Holiday Sales Up 5.5%

After a mild start, jewelry posted several weekly sales increases and ended the 2010 holiday shopping season with a year-over-year increase 8.4 percent, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse. Meanwhile, luxury sales (excluding jewelry) started the season with a solid gain and then picked up steam, ending with a very respectable year-over-year growth of 6.7 percent.

During the 50-day