Washington DC

Washington, D.C. — Retail sales during the 2020 holiday season — the period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 — grew 8.3 percent year-over-year and beat expectations, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The association had predicted holiday shopping sales to grow between 3.6 and 5.2 percent year-over-year. “Despite unprecedented challenges, consumers and retailers demonstrated incredible resilience this holiday season,” says NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. “Faced with rising transmission of the virus, state restrictions on retailers and heightened political and economic uncertainty, consumers chose to spend on gifts that lifted …

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Washington, D.C. — Retail sales in November declined 1.1 percent compared to October of this year, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The monthly decline is the first dip since April, when sales plummeted 14.7 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. November sales totaled $546.5 billion, which was an increase of 4.1 percent from November 2019. Additionally, the three-month period from September 2020 to November was 5.2 percent higher than the same time period a year ago. Month-over-month, motor vehicle and parts dealers, home furniture stores, electronics and appliances stores, …

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Washington, D.C. — Retail consumers have shown excitement for holiday shopping this year, says Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation (NRF). Because of the challenges of this year, Shay and the NRF believe people will buy gifts that may “lift the spirits of family and friends.” The NRF has forecasted U.S. holiday sales to grow between 3.6 percent and 5.2 percent compared to 2019. The expected growth would mean a range between $755.3 billion and $766.7 billion in sales for the season, which NRF defines as …

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Washington, D.C. — Retail sales have been increasing month-over-month and year-over-year for every month since June, according to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Monthly Economic Review. Retail sales in October were up 1.9 percent over September, which beat expectations from economists surveyed by Dow Jones. Additionally, October retail sales were up 8.6 percent since January 2020, according to research from Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker. NRF’s chief economist Jack Kleinhenz notes in the monthly report that the rebounding sales were a positive indicator for retailers that are hoping for a robust …

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Washington, D.C. — Retail sales increased 1.9 percent month-over-month in September, the U.S. Commerce Department reports. The most recent figure is 70 basis points higher than what economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast. Total sales reached $549.3 billion in September, which marked the fifth consecutive month of retail sales growth amid the coronavirus pandemic. In February, the total monthly spending reached $527 billion. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the sectors with the largest gains were clothing and accessories (11 percent), sporting goods stores (5.7 percent) and general merchandise …

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Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Commerce Department reported in its advanced estimate Wednesday morning that retail spending rose 0.6 percent on a month-over-month basis in August. Total sales for the month were $537.5 billion, up from $534.6 billion in July. This marks the fourth straight month retail sales rose since April, when sales plummeted 16.4 percent due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down the U.S. economy in mid-March. The National Retail Federation (NRF) said it expected August numbers to slow due to federal assistance waning at the end of July, …

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Washington, D.C. — Retail sales in July rose 1.2 percent on a month-over-month basis, the U.S. Commerce Department reported in its advanced estimate this morning. Total sales for the month clocked in at $536 billion, up from $529.4 billion in June. The Commerce Department reported sales reached $527 billion in February, marking the first time during the pandemic that retail sales have exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, the Commerce Department revised its May to June growth up 90 basis points to 8.4 percent. Despite the growth, the total volume of retail …

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Washington, D.C. — Retail imports at major U.S. ports are expected to see their lowest annual totals in four years as the coronavirus continues to affect the economy, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The NRF forecasts year-end 2020 totals to reach 19.6 million TEUs, which would be a 9.4 percent decrease from 2019 and the lowest number seen since the 19.1 million TEUs of imports in 2016. The NRF and Hackett Associates released their monthly Global Port Tracker report, which found that U.S. ports handled 1.6 million 20-foot …

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Washington, D.C. — The advanced estimate for June retail sales nationwide is up 7.5 percent on a month-over-month basis, the U.S. Commerce Department reports. Consumers visited stores and auto dealerships in-person for the second straight month as businesses began reopening their doors. Retail sales totaled $524.3 billion in June, up from $487.7 billion in May. The most recent figure shows spending is near pre-pandemic levels, as the Commerce Department reported that February 2020 spending reached $527.3 billion. The Commerce Department also revised the May retail sales rate up by 50 …

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Washington, D.C. — Whole Foods Market will open a new location July 23 in Washington, D.C. The new 46,000-square-foot grocery store will be situated at 967 Florida Ave. NW in D.C.’s Pleasant Plains neighborhood, less than two miles north of downtown D.C. and less than one mile from Howard University. The new store will offer a full-service butcher, bakery, produce department and a seafood counter. Amazon Prime members who shop at the location will have access to two-hour delivery on certain items, as well as a 10 percent discount on …

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