U.S. retail receipts jumped 4.7 percent in the week ending Saturday, a trade
group in Washington said.
The International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs weekly sales report
said sales rose week to week with a boost from Easter's early arrival. In 2012,
Easter fell on April 8, while this year it came on March 31.
Cool weather continued to keep enthusiasm for spring items at bay, the report
said. Compared to the same week a year earlier, sales were up 1.9 percent. At
the same time, average temperatures for the week were 13.4 degrees Fahrenheit
colder than the same week of 2012.
Weather Trends International Inc. said the current week was "another drastic
decline in year over year temperatures, which made for continued unfavorable
conditions for seasonal spring categories across the eastern two-thirds of the
nation ... Meanwhile, the West [had] extremely favorable [weather conditions]
with temperatures trending the third warmest in more than 22 years with
relatively dry conditions."
