US shoppers delivered a festive fillip to US retailers, with key industry data suggesting stronger Christmas trading than last year.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) said that December sales climbed 5.8 per cent year-on-year, but only increased 0.3 per cent on November.
A Commerce Department report said sales for the period were up 6.5 per cent year on year and had improved 0.5 per cent on the previous month.
According to NRF chief economist Rosalind Wells, most retail sectors experienced strong holiday gains. However, analysts lamented the incremental monthly gain, which was below consensus market expectations.
Wal-Mart reported a 3.9 per cent rise in comparable-store sales in the five weeks to January 2 on sales of $33.7 billion (£18.75 billion).
Value giant Target also performed strongly with comparable sales up 4.1 per cent.
Kohl's chief executive Larry Montgomery said: 'The business came very late in the month and at deeper discounts than planned.' The department store chain's comparable sales slipped 1.7 per cent.
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