Total retail sales including food service establishments increased 0.3% (4.4% y/y) during January following a 0.2% December gain, revised from 0.3%. The increase matched expectations in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. Retail sales excluding motor vehicles & parts also rose an expected 0.3% (4.0% y/y) last month after a 0.6% increase in December, revised from 0.7%.

Retail sales alone edged 0.1% higher (4.0% y/y) following no change last month, which was revised from 0.4%. A 3.1% decline (0.0% y/y) in apparel store sales weakened the result as it followed December's 2.7% jump. A 2.1% (-1.3% y/y) rise in building materials store sales offset most of this weakening. Motor vehicles purchases improved 0.2% (5.7% y/y) as unit sales of light vehicles (reported earlier this month) rose 1.1%. Nonstore retail sales increased 0.3% (8.4% y/y) after four straight months of decline. General merchandise store sales rose 0.5% (2.1% y/y), up for the fourth straight month. Furniture & home furnishings store sales improved 0.6% (1.8% y/y) following a 1.6% decline, but electronics & appliance store sales eased 0.5% (-3.2% y/y), and reversed December's rise. Sporting goods, hobby, book & music store sales gained 0.1% (-1.8% y/y) following little change.

Gasoline & service station sales eased 0.5% (+10.4% y/y) as gasoline prices declined.

In the nondiscretionary sales categories, food & grocery store sales improved 0.2% (2.3% y/y) after rising 0.5% in December. Sales of health & personal care product stores offset this gain with a 0.4% decline (-1.9% y/y), and they've been declining steadily since the middle of last year.

Restaurant sales increased 1.2% (7.4% y/y), the same as in December, which was revised from 0.2%.

The retail sales data can be found in Haver's USECON database. The Action Economics forecast is in the AS1REPNA database.