March Retail Sales Up

March was a good month for retailers, according to a report released yesterday by the U.S. Commerce Department. The document stated that retail sales began to shake off their winter blues and increased by 1.1 percent last month, the biggest gain since September 2012. Ten out of 13 retail categories tracked by the department showed improvement last month, though “core” retail sales (retailers excluding autos, gasoline, building materials and food services) increased by only 0.8 percent in March.

The largest gains were seen in auto and auto parts retailers. The worst-performing categories were electronics, appliance and gasoline retailers. There were moderate gains for furniture, clothing, general merchandise, health and personal care, food and beverage and sporting goods retailers, as well as restaurants.