by However, sales were up .33% from November, suggesting a slight uptick in holiday spending
WASHINGTON — Furniture store sales were down by .82% from December 2024, but were up .33% from November, according to the latest CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released by the National Retail Federation on Monday.
This compares with a 3.54% increase in overall year-over-year retail sales and a 1.26% increase in month-over-month retail sales in December, which excludes automobile dealers and gas stations.
Core retail sales, which excludes restaurants in addition to auto dealers and gas stations, were up 3.58% year over year and 1.6% month over month in December.
The year-over-year estimates are unadjusted while the month-over-month estimates are adjusted to remove typical seasonal fluctuations in sales activity that occur during a particular period.
“December Retail Monitor data saw a sharp surge in growth as consumers continued prioritizing holiday spending on family and friends,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Continued economic momentum helped land 2025 holiday sales near the top of NRF’s forecast, reaffirming that consumers remain on solid footing.”
The Retail Monitor publishes its estimates based on actual, anonymized credit and debit card purchase data compiled by Affinity Solutions and notes that the data does not need to be revised monthly or annually.
The Census Bureau report to be published later this week is based on a survey of around 4,800 firms that provide the government raw data based on the estimated dollar value of sales, the particular month, or reporting period and the number of retail establishments. Divided into 13 categories, including furniture stores, it is weighted by category and seasonally adjusted to account for holidays and other trends that influence sales activity.
The NRF survey said that December sales were up in six out of nine categories on a yearly basis and that they were up across all categories on a monthly basis.
Below is a summary of how each sector performed:
+ Clothing and accessories stores were up 6.11% year over year unadjusted and up 2.05% month over month seasonally adjusted.
+ Sporting goods, hobby, music and bookstores were up 5.16% year over year unadjusted and up 3.52% month over month seasonally adjusted.
+ Digital products (such as electronic books and games) were up 3.6% year over year unadjusted and up 0.98% month over month seasonally adjusted.
+ General merchandise stores were up 3.42% year over year unadjusted and up 2.9% month over month seasonally adjusted.
+ Grocery and beverage stores were up 2.85% year over year unadjusted and up 0.33% month over month seasonally adjusted.
+ Health and personal care stores were up 2.5% year over year unadjusted and up 1.92% month over month seasonally adjusted.
+ Electronics and appliance stores were down 0.09% year over year unadjusted and up 2.28% month over month seasonally adjusted.
+ Furniture and home furnishings stores were down 0.82% year over year unadjusted and up 0.33% month over month seasonally adjusted.
+ Building and garden supply stores were down 5.3% year over year unadjusted and up 1.11% month over month seasonally adjusted.
