New York, NY, January 4--Chain store retail sales rose a bit in the latest week due to post-Christmas shopping, a report said on Tuesday.
Sales rose 0.2 percent for the week ended Jan. 1 the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS said in a joint report.
"Consumers continued to spend during the post-Christmas period, and the performance over the last two weeks was a pleasant surprise to an uncertain and uneven season," said Michael Niemira, ICSC's chief economist and director of research.
Compared with the same week a year ago, sales remained on the upswing, rising 4.6 percent in the week ended Jan. 1.
The ICSC-UBS Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot is compiled from a group of major discount, department and chain stores across the country that report their weekly results.
