Retail sales decreased for the third consecutive month, declining 0.3% to $50.1 billion in January. Sales were down in 4 of 11 subsectors, representing 52% of retail trade. Lower sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers (-1.5%) contributed to the majority of the decline. Excluding sales in this subsector, retail sales increased 0.1%. After removing the effects of price changes, retail sales in volume terms were essentially unchanged in January. Retail sales decrease in four subsectors Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers declined 1.5% in January following a 1.0% increase in December. The decline was largely the ... (full story)