U.S. Retail Chain Store Sales Surge

By Agence France-Presse U.S. retail chain store sales surged last week, snapping a three-week decline, as many people started early on pre-holiday shopping, an industry survey showed Nov. 9. Sales rose 1.3% in the week ended Nov. 6 after easing 0.3% the previous week, a survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and UBS Warburg showed. Compared with a year earlier, however, sales during the week were up 3%. For the whole of November, the ICSC predicted sales in major retail chains would grow 3% to 4% compared with a year ago, after a 4% gain in October. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2004