New York: Strong online sales and demand for furniture and women’s apparel helped US retail sales grow by a “solid” 7.9 per cent this holiday season, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse.
US retail sales had grown 5.5pc in the period between Black Friday and Christmas Eve last year.
Online sales grew 20pc in the holiday season this year, MasterCard Advisors, which tracks customer spending, said in a report yesterday.
“The double-digit growth in furniture sales ... shows that consumers are willing and able to splurge on big ticket items,” MasterCard Advisors senior vice-president of market insights Sarah Quinlan said. Consumers were spending the money they were saving from lower petrol prices, she said.
The National Retail Federation has forecast a 3.7pc rise in store and online sales in November and December this year, with online sales expected to rise 6-8pc.
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