Retail Sales Up Seventh Straight Month in April

Washington, DC, May 14, 2010--Retail sales rose in April for the seventh straight month, according to the Commerce Department.

The government said Friday that retail sales rose 0.4% last month, better than the 0.2% increase economists had expected. The gain was less than the the 2.1% growth in March. But that surge was boosted by an early Easter holiday and auto incentives.

Excluding autos, retail sales climbed 0.4% in April, matching expectations.

The 0.4% rise in retail sales in March was led by a 6.9% surge in spending at hardware stores. Spending was also up at health and beauty shops and gasoline service stations. Most other categories either showed outright declines or smaller increases than in March.

Sales at department stores fell by 1.5% and the broader category of general merchandise stores, which covers big retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, posted a 0.4% decline.