Retail Sales Stage Comeback In June

Retail sales got a much-needed boost in June as consumers who had stayed home during the unseasonably cool spring finally went shopping for warm-weather merchandise.

While consumers were drawn to the swimsuits and air conditioners as summer arrived, lots of “sale” signs and big price cuts attracted the value-conscious looking for bargains.

“The weather was a little more cooperative and there was a little more strength overall in June,” said Robert F. Buchanan, a retail analyst at NatWest Securities.

“That gave retailers a nice lift from the weak numbers we had seen in April and May.”

Retailers trudged through the spring as unusually low temperatures further chilled sales that were already lagging in the months after Christmas - even as consumer confidence reached record levels and unemployment remained low.

But sales picked up in June as the warm weather and clearance racks inspired shoppers to buy again.