Easter shift means tough April comparison

Source: By HTT

WASHINGTON - The early Easter holiday which bolstered sales in March has had the opposite effect on April, according to results of the April NRF Retail Executive Opinion Survey, with the Retail Sector Performance Index dropping 7.9 points from last month and 8.8 points from last April to a reading of 50.5.

"Given the Easter shift to March, retailers were hard-pressed to compete with last April's strong gains," said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin.

Down Bedding

The Demand Outlook, a six-months-ahead sales outlook, dropped 8.7 points in April to 52.8.