Retail Sales Surge in February

Washington, DC, March 13, 2012 -- The Commerce Department said Tuesday that retail sales increased 1.1% last month, the biggest gain since September.

And the government upwardly revised the previous two months.

Some economists said that the February increase in retail spending and the revisions could lead to faster economic growth.

One factor was a 3.3% rise in gasoline sales last month, mostly reflecting higher gasoline prices.

Excluding gas sales, retail sales still increased a solid 0.8%.