Holiday Retail Sales Off to Strong Start

Washington, DC, Dec. 2, 2010 -- The holiday shopping season got off to a strong start with gains in most retail categories, according to a report from Mastercard Advisors' SpendingPulse.

The retail sales growth in November was particularly strong for apparel and for online sales, according to research from MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, which estimates total retail sales across all payment forms.

The growth in online sales accelerated in the latest month, rising 12% from the year-ago period, according to SpendingPulse.

Sales of furniture rose 2.8%, which was the best showing for that category in quite some time. Sales of luxury items rose 1.6%, but the overall electronics category fell 1%, hurt by sharp price declines of popular electronics items such as LCD televisions.