Retail Sales Fall in Early April

New York, NY, April 29, 2008--U.S. chain store sales fell 1.3 percent in the first two weeks of April compared with the previous month, according to Redbook Research's latest indicator of national retail sales.

The index's drop was slightly was lower than the expected 1.4 percent decline.

The Johnson Redbook Index also showed seasonally adjusted sales in the month-to-date rose 1.9 percent.

On an unadjusted basis, sales in the week ended April 19 were up 1.7 percent from the same week in 2007, after a 2 percent gain the previous week.