New York–Consistent with recent news reports, the National Retail Federation (NRF) on Jan. 14 revealed its survey results for the holiday shopping season, showing the smallest overall sales increase–2.2%–since it began tracking sales 11 years ago.
“External factors surrounding this holiday season were too much for retailers to overcome,” said NRF president/CEO Tracy Mullin in announcing the results at the NRF Annual Convention and Exposition. “Consumers were cautious, and the sales increase was low.” The NRF holiday sales survey covers the months of November and December.