Although week-over-week sales declined sharply as Valentine’s and President’s Day promotions came to an end, ShopperTrak reported weekly year-over-year sales and February sales remained positive despite severe snowstorms on the East coast that slowed spending throughout the month. To date, ShopperTrak’s data shows February sales have increased 1.3 percent, with the company’s final February sales and traffic data expected next week.  

 “Positive year-over-year sales performance with the inclement weather we’ve seen in February proves consumers are willing to spend following nearly two years of pent up demand due to the recession,” said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak. “Looking ahead, our historical data shows sales should slow a bit before picking up during spring break in mid March, followed by an additional lift late in the month as Easter shopping begins.”  

Developed by ShopperTrak, the NRSE provides a nationwide benchmark of retail sales. It is derived from the U.S. Commerce Department's GAFO (general merchandise, apparel, furniture, sporting goods, electronics, hobby, books and other related store sales) statistic, as well as ShopperTrak's proprietary industry intelligence on shopper movement and sales statistics. This gives retailers, investors and policy makers the most accurate and timely information on consumer trends available today.

A privately held entity, ShopperTrak leverages 20 years of retail expertise to be the industry's authority for information and analysis of the movement of shoppers in retail environments. ShopperTrak's cutting-edge shopper tracking products and indices offer retail intelligence solutions that enable companies to better understand retail trends and the impact of store and staff performance on company revenues. With more than 50,000 units installed in the world's best known retail outlets and malls, the company's solutions also provide a proven means for retailers to gauge labor efficiencies, advertising and marketing efforts, store design and remodeling programs, merchandise changes, associate training programs, and other budget-intensive strategic initiatives. For more information visit http://www.shoppertrak.com.