Late Surge of Holiday Shopping Lifts Retail Sales

A late surge in shopping and pent-up demand for women’s clothing gave a boost to holiday sales, according to early spending figures.

U.S. retail sales, excluding cars and gas, rose 7.9 percent between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, with women’s apparel and furniture seeing the biggest gains, according to figures from MasterCard Advisors. For all of November and December, sales were up 4.6 percent—slightly better than expected.

The figures indicate that consumers are starting to feel more confident buying big-ticket items, such as new sofas, said Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of market insights for MasterCard.