IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
March was a good month for retail nationwide, as U.S chain store sales rose 3.6 percent year-over-year.
National sales were also up 2.2 percent compared with February, which was hurt badly by severe weather in much of the country, according to data released today by the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Easter scrambled this year’s numbers slightly: last year Easter fell on March 31, this year on April 20, so this March lost about one percentage in sales.
However, those sales will be recovered this month, when same-store sales are expected to rise 3.5 to four percent nationwide compared with last April, according to the council.
The New York-based council is the leading global trade association for the shopping center industry, with more than 65,000 members in 100-plus countries. Its monthly data is based on sales figures from 10 chain stores, according to the council.
