Chain store sales surged 4.3% in the week ended December 15, and were 3.5% better year-over-year, according to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Snapshot released Tuesday.
"The second wave of holiday shopping kicked in last week as consumers stepped up their holiday shopping with fewer and fewer days remaining ahead of Christmas," said Michael Niemira, ICSC vice president of research and chief economist. "This is encouraging, but consumers still are behind on their holiday-gift completion rate, which means the upcoming weekend will be extremely busy," Niemira added.
