WASHINGTON — Retail sales increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in January as sales excluding autos also grew 0.3%, both below economists’ estimates, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
The January retail sales increase was the smallest since June, when total retail sales fell 0.3%.
Economists expected sales would increase 0.5% and sales excluding autos would rise 0.6%, according to the median estimate from Thomson Reuters.
December retail sales were revised lower to a 0.5% increase from a 0.6% gain reported last month.
For the three months ending in January, retail sales jumped 7.6% from the same period in 2009.
Shoppers continued to lift sales at general merchandise and department stores, which reported sales gains of 0.8% and 0.5%, respectively — both the largest gains in three months. Sales at online and mail-order retailers rose 1.2% in January following a 2.6% increase in December.
January retail sales excluding autos and gasoline sales, two volatile categories, increased 0.2% following a 0.1% rise in December.
For the 12 months ending in January, retail sales increased 7.8%.