Retail industry sales, excluding auto, gas and restaurant sales, were down 1.3%, over October of last year and flat over September, according to the National Retail Federation. Sales including autos, gas and restaurants increased 1.4% over the previous month, but decreased 1.7% over October 2008.
“Though the October numbers show some signs of optimism for retailers, the industry is still not out of the woods,” said Rosalind Wells, chief economist for the NRF. “While categories like apparel, sporting goods, books, music and personal care fared well, housing-related categories such as furniture and home improvement continued to struggle.”
Among categories:
Sales of clothing and accessories increased a fraction of a percent over September and 3.6% over October 2008.
Health and personal care store sales rose a fraction of a percent for the month and 3.8% for the year.
Sporting goods, hobby, book and music store sales fell 1.2% for the month, but increased 3% for the year.
Furniture and home furnishing sales were down a fraction of a percent for the month and down 7.6% for the year.
Building material, garden equipment and supplies store sales dipped 2.4% for the month and 16.6% for the year.
