Commerce and NRF report April retail sales see annual gains and sequential declines

April retail sales data issued today by the United States Department of Commerce and the National Retail Federation (NRF) showed sequential declines and annual gains.

Commerce reported that April retail sales, at $513.4 billion, fell 0.2% compared to March and were up 3.1% annually. And it added that total retail sales from February through April rose 3% compared to the same period a year ago.

It added that retail trade sales were off 0.2% compared to March and up 2.8% annually, with nonstore retailers, which is largely comprised of e-commerce activity, saw a 9% annual jump.

NRF said that April retail sales were down 0.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis and up 5.2% annually on an unadjusted basis. NRF's numbers exclude sales data from automotive dealers, gas stations, and restaurants.

The three-month moving average through April saw a 2.9% annual gain, which was ahead of March's 2.6% annual spread, with the NRF noting that April's results represented a continuation of gains of 1.1% in April and 1% in March.

“Slower tax refunds and weather may have been key factors impacting April's numbers, but the fundamentals remain positive, particularly in long-term comparisons,” NRF Chief Economic Jack Kleinhenz said in a statement. ““Despite there being a lot of volatility in the data from month to month, the long-term comparisons look good and the three-month average in particular is getting stronger. We think we remain on track to meet our projections.”

Kleinhenz added that flooding in the middle of the country and blizzards and extreme temperature swings elsewhere along with a soft housing market that impacted sales of furniture, appliances and building materials played a role in April's results. And he also noted that the shift of Easter and Passover from March to April this year gave less of a month-over-month bump in spending than expected, but contributed to April's strong year-over-year increase.

Specifics from key retail sectors during April cited by the NRF include:
-online and other non-store sales were up 11.9% year-over-year but down 0.2% month-over-month seasonally adjusted;
-health and personal care stores were up 6.1% year-over-year but down 0.2% month-over-month seasonally adjusted;
-grocery and beverage stores were up 4.6% year-over-year and up 0.2% month-over-month seasonally adjusted; and
-general merchandise stores were up 4.4% year-over-year and up 0.2% month-over-month seasonally adjusted

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