IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
The drop in gasoline prices continued to help retail sales last week.
Nationwide sales were up 2.2 percent for the week that ended Saturday compared with the same week in 2013, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index.
Week-over-week, sales were essentially unchanged, up 0.2 percent, according to the index, which was released Tuesday.
Since early July, gasoline prices nationwide have dropped by 81 cents per gallon, enough to save U.S. consumers around $90 billion, said Michael P. Niemira, a research consultant with the New York-based council.
Retailers will get a major boost during the holiday shopping season if that trend continues, Niemira said in a statement.
