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Retail sales climbed for the ninth consecutive month in June as positive factors overcame economic challenges, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor.
“The summer shopping season got off to a strong start in June,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay says. “Consumers took advantage of summer sales events, and many got an early jump on back-to-school shopping. The willingness to spend on retail goods has been supported by the retail industry’s laser focus on affordability as well as a durable labor market. Year-over-year gains look particularly strong compared with a weak June 2025.”
Total retail sales, excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations, were up 0.33% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 9.41% unadjusted year over year in June, according to the Retail Monitor. That compares with increases of 0.42% month over month and 7.19% year over year in May.
The unusually large year-over-year increases were because of the comparison against slow sales in June 2025. Calculated on a seasonally adjusted basis to compensate, total sales were up 4.26% and core sales were up 4.23%.
Retail sales in building and garden supply stores were up 0.06% month over month, seasonally adjusted, and up 4.04% year over year, unadjusted.
