Economy Watch: Retailers Might Have Had a Strong Holiday Season After All
ByCourtesy Flickr Creative Commons user slowburn
Early numbers on retail sales during the 2016 holiday season are coming in, and at least one organization reports that U.S. consumers decided to loosen their purse-strings just ahead of Christmas. Retail research firm Customer Growth Partners is now estimating that holiday sales were up 4.9 percent over last year, to $637 billion. If so, that would be the largest increase since 2005.
Some retailers did better than others, naturally, even without resorting to deep discounts before Christmas. Consumer electronics, home-improvement goods, beauty products and toys all enjoyed strong sales. In some cases, that goes against long-term trends, such as for electronics, a category in which sales have been slipping for some years now…
Economy Watch: Retailers Might Have Had a Strong Holiday Season After All