Your Economy (No Politics)

[Bullwinkle]

Chain store sales rise on the week: ICSC/UBS
Tuesday April 18, 8:01 am ET


NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. chain store sales rose in the latest week on Easter-related purchases and mild weather across the U.S., according to a report on Tuesday.

Sales advanced 1.1 percent in the week ended April 15, after rising 1.8 percent in the previous week, according to the report produced by the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS Securities LLC.

The ICSC said sales grew 4.0 percent last week versus the same week in 2005. In the previous week sales rose 3.9 percent versus the same week a year earlier.

The later Easter holiday and warm weather have boosted chain-store sales in the first half of April, but a resurgence in energy prices could hurt sales in the latter part of the month, said Michael P. Niemira, ICSC's chief economist and director of research.

"A worry for the second half of April is the recent rapid rise in energy prices," Niemira said.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/060418/economy_retail_icsc.html?.v=1