January 2019 US Retail Sales: Retail Rebound, Supported by Strong Sales at Home-Improvement Stores

Executive Summary

Coresight Research’s monthly reports keep you up to date on US and UK retail sales, US retail traffic and in-store metrics, selected US retailers’ same-store sales and key global consumer indicators. Click here to view our full collection of Monthly Reports.

Our monthly US Retail Sales Report reviews the latest sector data published by the US Census Bureau.

Highlights from our January US Retail Sales Report:

• Total retail sales excluding fuel and automobiles increased 3.7% year over year in January, growing substantially from the revised 0.1% year-over-year decline reported for December.
• In January, eight out of 13 major retail sectors saw sequential improvements to year-over-year growth.
• The home-improvement sector proved particularly robust, with year-over-year growth hitting 8.7% in January, from 1.6% in December. In January, nonstore retailers saw sales rise 7.3% year over year, while sales at grocery stores grew 3.5%.