Same Store Retail Sales Show Smallest Increase In Two Years

Presidential campaigns and debates, last-minute tax filing, and weather conditions dampened same-store sales in Redbook's sample during the April 16 week, to a plus of only 0.5 percent from the year-ago week. This is the smallest year-on-year weekly increase in more than two years, and extends the run of this year's mostly sub 1.0 percent readings. Month-over-month, April sales to date were down 3.1 percent from March, and 0.8 percent higher than the same period last year.