WASHINGTON - Retail sales edged up 0.1% in June as auto sales bounced back, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
Sales excluding autos were unchanged for the month. Total sales for May were revised higher to a 0.1% decline from a 0.2% drop reported initially. May sales excluding autos were revised to a 0.2% gain from the 0.3% rise reported last month.
June motor vehicle and parts sales increased 0.8%, the largest gain since February, as sales began to recover following the Japan crisis in March. Auto sales for May were revised to a 1.8% decline, up from a sharp 2.9% plunge reported last month.
Economists predicted retail sales would be unchanged in June and that sales excluding autos would increase 0.1%, according to the median estimate from Thomson Reuters.
Sales excluding autos and gas station transactions increased 0.2% in June, matching the May increase. June sales at general merchandise stores rose 0.4% and sales at department stores gained 1.4%, the largest increase in eight months.
For the year ending in June, total sales increased 8.1% and sales excluding autos were up 7.9%.
