The US clothing and accessories category also saw a significant 5.14% rise in April compared to the same period last year without adjustments.
The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor which provided the data, indicated that the timing of Easter likely contributed to the favourable year-over-year spending comparisons.
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NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay stated: “Spending rose again in April, driven largely by consumers continuing to pull purchases forward to stay ahead of tariffs that will inevitably lead to higher prices.
“Despite declines in confidence caused by the economic uncertainty that has come with tariffs, consumer fundamentals remain intact, supported by low unemployment, slower-but-steady income growth and solid household finances. Consumers maintain their ability to spend and have strong reasons to spend now before tariffs can drive up prices or cause shortages on store shelves.”
The report, powered by Affinity Solutions and released by the NRF, revealed that total retail sales excluding automobiles and gasoline surged by 0.72% on a seasonally adjusted basis month over month and soared by 6.76% without adjustments year over year in April.
This performance outpaced the growth observed in March, which saw a 0.6% monthly increase and a 4.75% annual rise.
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By GlobalDataCore retail sales, which exclude automobile dealerships, gasoline stations, and restaurants, climbed by 0.9% from March to April and exhibited a robust 7.11% growth compared to April of the previous year. This is an uptick from the 0.4% monthly and 5.07% yearly increases recorded in March.
Overall sales for the first four months of the year increased by 5.08% compared to the same period last year, while core sales rose by 5.5%.
April’s sales data showed an upward trend in eight out of nine categories on an annual basis, with significant gains noted in digital products, electronics and appliance stores, as well as grocery and beverage stores. Similarly, eight out of nine categories experienced monthly sales growth.
Health and personal care outlets experienced a positive trend with a 1.43% month-over-month increase after seasonal adjustments, while general merchandise stores faced a slight dip of 0.02% from the previous month.
Meanwhile, furniture and home furnishings stores enjoyed modest growth with sales edging up by 0.86% on a month-over-month basis.
Earlier this month (May), digital wholesale platform Joor collected insights from over 400 fashion brands and retailers regarding tariff impacts and said global fashion entities are bracing for an average price increase of 20% as a response to new US trade tariffs.
