WASHINGTON — Retail sales at U.S. stores rose 0.1% in June, with a sharp decline in motor vehicle sales and another price-related spike in gasoline station sales, data released yesterday by the Commerce Department showed.
Sales excluding motor vehicles were up 0.8%, but sales excluding both motor vehicles and gasoline rose only 0.2%. Motor vehicle sales posted a 3.3% drop, their largest since February 2006, while gasoline station sales surged 4.6%, the largest increase since November 2007.
The housing-related categories were all down in June, with a 1.4% drop in furniture sales, a 0.9% drop in sales of building materials and garden supplies, and a 0.6% decline in sales at electronics and appliances stores.
— Market News International
