Confident consumers lift U.S. retail sales in December

WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales rose at a solid pace last month, evidence Americans were willing to spend during the winter holidays after a sluggish November.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that retail sales increased 0.3% in December from the previous month. Excluding sales at car dealers and gas stations, sales rose 0.5%, the best in five months.

Low unemployment and widespread hiring are fueling consumer confidence. Shoppers have become the primary driver of the economy’s growth as businesses have reined in their investment in machinery and equipment and exports have slowed.

Still, economists said the positive December figures were partially offset by downward revisions to October and November sales. That suggests consumer spending likely grew more slowly in the final three months of last year than previously expected.

“The December numbers look good in isolation, but they are tempered by downward revisions to prior data,” Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said.

Holiday shopping got off to a slow start in November, with sales excluding autos and gas actually dropping 0.2%. But sales rose in December at electronics and appliance stores, home and garden centers, grocery stores and clothing shops.

Department stores reported a sharp 0.8% drop in sales for the second straight month, as Americans appear to be avoiding older chains. They were the only broad category other than autos to report lower sales last month.

Last year also saw shopping patterns continue to shift. Sales in a category that mostly includes online retailers soared 19.2% in 2019, nearly quadruple the 5.8% rise in overall sales. Online sales increased 0.2% in December.

Many large retailers reported disappointing results for the winter holidays. J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, Macy’s and L Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, all reported sales declines.